Amelia Island Bike Trails: What Connects, What Does Not, and What Is Being Built

Angie Heitzer

Amelia Island has roughly 40 miles of casual and advanced bike trails, by Nassau County's own count. The paved spine is the 7-mile Amelia Island Trail, which runs from Peters Point Beachfront Park to Amelia Island State Park. Around it sit the 3-mile Amelia River to Sea Trail, the grass roads of Egans Creek Greenway, and 6 miles of off-road trail inside Fort Clinch State Park.

Those four names describe very different rides. One is a smooth ribbon along the beach side of the island where you can hold a pace for half an hour without stopping. Another is a mowed track through marsh where you will stop for a wading bird whether you planned to or not. Knowing which is which decides what bike belongs in your garage, and, if you are shopping the island, which end of it you want to wake up on.

Where can I go bike riding on Amelia Island?

You can ride four distinct trails on Amelia Island: the paved Amelia Island Trail on the south end, the Amelia River to Sea Trail from river to beach, the grass roads of Egans Creek Greenway, and the off-road trail inside Fort Clinch State Park. The county's bike-trails page hands riders a Timucuan Island Trail System Map and carries an undated notice that the Timucuan/Amelia Island Multi-Use Trail System will be extended from Talbot Island State Park north to Peters Point Park. What the map does not yet show is one continuous route. The Nassau County Chamber of Commerce describes the trail work now under contract as a project to connect the existing two trails, which is another way of saying the two finished trails do not currently meet.

What is the Amelia Island Trail?

The Amelia Island Trail is a paved, multi-use 7-mile path across the south end of the island, running from Peters Point Beachfront Park to Amelia Island State Park. The visitors bureau notes that much of the paved, tree-lined route parallels Highway A1A, a scenic byway, and that the trail is part of the East Coast Greenway, the network stretching from Florida to Maine. The Chamber dates this stretch to 2011, when the county built a trail from the south end of Amelia Island to Peters Point Beachfront Park.

A steady east wind that feels pleasant heading south becomes a real headwind on the return.

Where does the Amelia River to Sea Trail go?

The Amelia River to Sea Trail covers 3 miles from Crane Island to the beach at Simmons Road, and the Chamber puts its completion in 2019. Three miles sounds minor until you notice what it does: it takes you from the river side of the island to the ocean side under your own power. Marsh light and river light are different from beach light, and this is the only route here where you get both in twenty minutes.

If you go looking for it on county documents, note that the county calls it the Simmons Road Trail. Same trail, two names.

Can you bike the Egans Creek Greenway?

Yes, you can ride the Egans Creek Greenway, a protected area of over 300 acres running north to south along Egans Creek whose grass-covered roads serve as a network of trails suitable for walking and bicycling. It opened for public use in the summer of 2000 as an undeveloped park for passive recreational use. The city's Planning and Conservation Department now titles it the Ron Sapp Egans Creek Greenway, while the Parks and Recreation trails page still lists it as the Egans Creek Greenway.

Grass rides nothing like asphalt. Wide tires make the Greenway pleasant; narrow ones turn it into work. This is the ride you take when you want to see the island rather than cover it.

The city lists entrances behind the Atlantic Recreation Center at 2500 Atlantic Avenue, two on Jasmine Street, one off Citrona Drive and one on Sadler Road behind the Residence Inn, with parking at the first, second and last of those, restrooms at the Nature Pavilion, and a standing reminder to enjoy the alligators, snakes, marsh rabbits and birds from a distance.

Can you bike at Fort Clinch State Park?

Yes, Fort Clinch State Park at the island's northern tip carries two rides, a 6-mile off-road trail and a 3.3-mile paved park drive, each with its own rules. The 6-mile off-road multi-use trail runs alongside the park drive through maritime forest, is rated intermediate, is one-way for bicyclists and two-way for hikers, and requires helmets. The park describes it as beginning at the fort parking lot, paralleling the drive for about 3 miles, then crossing the road and returning toward the fort on the opposite side, over ancient dunes it calls very steep. Florida law itself is narrower than the park's wording: a bicycle rider or passenger who is under 16 years of age must wear a helmet.

The park also has 3.3 miles of paved road for touring bicycles through the oak-shaded canopy, ending at the visitor center for historic Fort Clinch. The park asks riders to stay single file there, calls that drive narrow and winding, and points to early morning and late afternoon because vehicle traffic is heaviest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. At low tide there are several miles of hard-packed sand rideable on large-tire bikes, with bikes walked across the boardwalks.

What is being built next?

Nassau County is building a four-segment extension of the Amelia Island Trail, designed to join the two finished trails into one continuous 12-mile route from the island's south end to South 8th Street. The planning behind it is not new: in 2016 the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization drafted a study of the bicycling and pedestrian facilities on Amelia Island. Separately, the county was awarded around $1,000,000 to design 4 miles of Amelia Island Trail Phase II and build the first mile, from South Fletcher Avenue to Via Del Rey; the full extension would reach from just east of Shave Bridge on 8th Street to the southernmost end of the island and eventually tie into the Timucuan Trail in Duval County.

The Chamber gives the build order. County commissioners added a four-phase project to the Five-Year Capital Improvement Plan to connect the two existing trails into a continuous 12-mile trail from the south end of Amelia Island to South 8th Street. Segment 1, South Fletcher Avenue to Via Del Rey, was completed in May 2024, funded mostly by a $998,607 FDOT Local Agency Program grant with $88,971 from the county. In February 2025 the county awarded a $2.7 million bid for Segment 3, South 14th Street to Bailey Road, and Segment 4, Bailey Road to South 8th Street; in March 2025 it awarded Segment 2, Via Del Rey to 14th Street. Segments 2 through 4 are funded entirely by federal money through FDOT's grant program, just over $6 million in all.

This trail will be a much-welcomed addition to the island's off-road trail system and will provide another safe walking, running and cycling venue for our residents and guests.

— Mike Pikula, President of the Friends of the Amelia Island Trail, Inc., in the Nassau County Chamber of Commerce's March 2025 announcement

Further north, a Nassau County press release dated June 15, 2022 reported that the Florida Legislature had appropriated $5.1 million to the county during the 2022 session to extend the Amelia Island Trail from Simmons Road to Hickory Street, following the Will Hardee, Sadler Road and 14th Street corridors. That release said the money would reach the county in 2023 and design would follow. It is four years old now, so ask the county where that piece stands before you plan a house purchase around it.

Read the funded projects together and the direction is consistent. Every one of them pushes north from the island's south end toward Fernandina Beach, rather than filling the gap from both ends at once.

What should you know before a first ride on the island?

The first thing worth knowing before a ride here is where the bike repair stations are: the City lists bike fixing stations at Egans Creek Park (2100 Atlantic Avenue), Simmons Road Park (1650 Simmons Road), and the Ybor Alvarez fields (3243 Bailey Road). Note where those sit relative to your route before you go, because a slow leak two miles into grass is a long walk.

Salt is the other quiet cost of riding here. Ocean air finds chains and cassettes, and bikes that live outside on a porch age faster than the ones that come inside.

A good part of my work is helping buyers name the life they actually want before we talk about square footage, and trail access is a legitimate thing to weigh. A house within a few blocks of the Greenway or the paved trail changes a Saturday morning more than a bonus room does. Whether that trade is worth it to you is a question worth asking out loud, early, while you still have options.

If you are considering a move here, I would be happy to help you compare the neighborhoods and lifestyles that fit the way you want to spend a morning. Love Where You Live.

Frequently asked questions

Is Amelia Island good for biking?

Yes, if you match the bike to the surface. Nassau County counts roughly 40 miles of casual and advanced bike trail on the island, split between paved multi-use paths and unpaved routes through marsh and maritime forest. Helmets are required on the off-road trail at Fort Clinch State Park, which is also one-way for bicyclists and two-way for hikers.

Where are the bike paths located in Fernandina Beach, Florida?

The Ron Sapp Egans Creek Greenway runs north to south along Egans Creek through more than 300 acres inside the city, with entrances behind the Atlantic Recreation Center on Atlantic Avenue, on Jasmine Street, off Citrona Drive and on Sadler Road. Fort Clinch State Park sits at the island's northern tip with both a 6-mile off-road trail and a 3.3-mile paved park drive. The Amelia River to Sea Trail ends at the beach at Simmons Road.

Is the Simmons Road Trail the same as the Amelia River to Sea Trail?

Yes: Nassau County's [bicycle and pedestrian planning page](https://www.nassaucountyfl.com/1271/Bicycle-and-Pedestrian-Planning) states that the Simmons Road Trail is also known as the Amelia River to Sea Trail. The two names carry two different lengths: the county's 2013 grant record, which awarded $1,720,000 for the Simmons Road Multi-Use Trail, describes 2.2 miles, while the visitors bureau lists the finished [Amelia River to Sea Trail at 3 miles](https://www.ameliaisland.com/partners/ait-and-arts-trails/). The Nassau County Chamber of Commerce dates completion of the Crane Island to Simmons Road Beach Access segment to 2019.

How long is the Amelia Island Trail?

The Amelia Island Trail is a paved, multi-use 7-mile trail running from Peters Point Beachfront Park to Amelia Island State Park, and it is part of the East Coast Greenway. Nassau County's four-segment extension is designed to create a continuous 12-mile trail from the island's south end to South 8th Street.

Do you need a helmet to bike at Fort Clinch State Park?

Yes on the off-road trail. Fort Clinch State Park requires helmets on its 6-mile off-road multi-use trail, which is one-way for bicyclists and two-way for hikers. Florida law itself is narrower than the park's wording: a bicycle rider or passenger who is under 16 years of age must wear a helmet.

Are the Amelia Island bike trails connected?

Not yet. The Nassau County Chamber of Commerce describes the trail work now under contract as a project to connect the existing two trails, and the county's four-segment extension is designed to create a continuous 12-mile trail from the island's south end to South 8th Street. Segment 1, from South Fletcher Avenue to Via Del Rey, was completed in May 2024, and Segments 2 through 4 were awarded in February and March 2025.