wellness
Tallahassee Opens New Cycling Routes Safe for Families and Beginners
The city’s Parks and Recreation Department has marked flat, low-traffic paths through two central green spaces to encourage more residents to bike with children.
How we reported this
City crews finished painting new bike lanes and installing wayfinding signs last week along the 3.2-mile loop at Lake Ella and the 4.7-mile path that runs from Cascades Park to the edge of the Myers Park neighborhood.
Tallahassee’s active wellness culture has grown in the past two years as residents seek low-cost ways to stay active during the long summer months. Local health data from the Leon County Department of Health shows adult obesity rates hovering near 32 percent, and family groups have asked for routes where children on training wheels can ride without crossing busy streets such as Thomasville Road or Monroe Street.
Two routes now ready for first-time riders
The Lake Ella loop stays inside the park boundary and connects to the adjacent McGowan Circle neighborhood, where speed limits are posted at 20 miles per hour. The Cascades Park path uses a separated greenway that passes the amphitheater and the playground before crossing under the railroad trestle on a newly paved underpass. Both routes are part of the department’s Family Wheels program, which began in March 2025 and supplies free helmets at the Tom Brown Park recreation center on Saturdays.
Program records show 1,240 helmets checked out during the first 14 months of operation, and the department added 1.8 miles of new pavement this spring at a cost of $187,000 drawn from the 2025 capital budget. Riders can also borrow a tag-along bike trailer at the same counter for a $3 daily fee.
Getting started this weekend
Parents can download the city’s trail map from the Parks and Recreation website or pick up a paper copy at the kiosk near the Lake Ella boathouse. The safest times remain before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m. to avoid peak heat. Families who want an easy first outing should start at the Cascades Park parking lot on South Monroe Street, ride the greenway south to the underpass, then return the same way before attempting the full Lake Ella loop on a separate visit.
City staff will host a free skills clinic at 8 a.m. on July 12 at the Tom Brown Park soccer field, open to any resident who brings a helmet and a bike in working order.