The Vortex — Attraction in Belleview

Fantastic trail system. I have ridden this trail since about 1999 or 2000, and the continual development by the OMBA volunteers had made it a really great cycling destination. I moved away (to the Atlanta area) in 2008, and since then I've ridden lots of trails in the area. I enjoy the riding in Georgia, but really missed the variety that the Santos trails provide. The Yellow trails out to the Land Bridge and beyond are a great way to getin some miles at whatever intensity you desire. Additionally, the level terrain lets you ride fast enough that you get lots of experience handling fast turns, if that's what you prefer. The Red trails in the Vortex area are really pretty technical. The tight turns, short but step climbs with roots and rocks in just the wrong place and wooden manmade features combine to make a mountain biking experience that surprises many people who expect that all Florida has to offer are boring flat trails. My 13 year old son predictably loved the jumps near the entrance to the Vortex trail. Overall, I highly recommend the trail system here. While you're in the area, visit the Santos Trailhead Bicycle shop. I had been riding the road bike exclusively so the tubeless sealant had dried up in the MTB tires. Mike the mechanic fixed me up before I headed out for a very...

Great place when the weather is right!! Any dampness and the wood and rock become too slippery. I've been there twice: once when it was wet and no one was there, and once when it was perfect conditions and the place was happening! Kenz Kornerz was the first spot I went to and I did it twice it was so much fun. I then took the Back Door into the Pit and spoke to some people who were doing the jumps. I intended on heading east for some of the other trails but got hooked on Indigo Falls. Spoke to some more people who gave me tips on how to do the obstacles then made a friend who took me around to all the really fun stuff and encouraged me to try them myself! I spent three hours having the best ride experience to date. Now, I've only been mountain biking since April 2020 so my experience is limited, but we do have some fun stuff in South Florida so I'm not completely inexperienced. Anyhow, Vortex has risen straight to my number one favorite place. Go when the weather is nice, be safe,...

Once filling the dreams of dredge shovels everywhere the Cross Florida Barge Canal suffered a budgetary death in the 1970s under the Nixon administration when the project lost general popular support. The resulting swath of land stretching from the Ocala National Forest in the east to Yankeetown in the west created a catch as catch can series of public lands now surrounded by burgeoning suburbs. The invention of the offroad bicycle produced an energetic match for which the dormant rock pits have become a sought out destination. Mildly primitive scattered paid camping areas up to a few with flush toilets. Once a year the 12 Hours of Santos opens the pit to free camping for the...