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The Auburndale TECO Trail is a 7.3-mile paved trail running between Polk City and Auburndale.
About the Route
The Auburndale TECO Trail connects Polk City with Lake Myrtle in Auburndale, where it meets up with the General James A. Van Fleet Trail. At its northern end, the Polk City Trailhead (7683 Berkley Rd, Polk City) is shared with the Van Fleet Trail.
The trail is flat and invites walkers, joggers, cyclists, and inline skaters. At the southern end of the trail there is an observation area where you can watch bald eagles, which have built a nest nearby.
Connections
At its northern end, the trail connects to the General James A. Van Fleet Trail.
The Auburndale TECO Trail runs between 7683 Berkley Rd (Polk City), where parking is available, and Berkley Rd (Auburndale).
Visit the TrailLink map for all parking options and detailed directions.
My husband and I were really looking forward to riding this trail. The parking area is nice and shaded which is nice to keep your vehicle cooler as opposed to sitting in the direct sun. There’s also restrooms here which is a plus…but if you’re looking to do more than 5 miles, this is not the trail for you. We hopped on our bikes and headed north. The tree canopy was great but just a couple miles up the path we’re huge power lines with NO trees or canopy and not scenic in the slighted.
We decided to start here and head up to the Van Fleet trail! Ended up making a 25 mile round trip bike ride !n. Will certainly be back
Parked on the end where the dog park is so that was a plus! Super easy walk… will definitely be back.
Unlike the wonderful General Van Fleet Trail, I don't know how this trail rates a 5 other than as a way for extreme enthusiasts to add mileage. Even so, turning around and doing another lap would be better!
Started from the Polk City trailhead that serves both the General Van Fleet Trail going north and the Aurburndale trail going south. just an FYI, the initial trailhead is signed as Polk City Trail. Aurburndale-Teco signage doesn't start for 2 or 3 miles to the south. Be ready for the first 4 miles to follow a massive power-line right-of-way out in the full sun. The trail is not pretty to say the least as it goes underneath busy I-4.
Granted the last 2 miles are quite pleasant as others have described. Trees, shade, massive athletic field complexes. Just not worth the ride to get there.
Landed at a nice parking area and rode along a vast athletic complex with at least a dozen soccer/lax fields. Continuing on the ride became more rural along a large power line. Get in before sunset as the bugs come out quickly!
This was our first time on this trail. Nice and flat. Great place for taking your time and enjoying the outdoors. Rode it all the way until the end where The General Fleet trail began and turned back. Yea there was bathrooms at the trail head, however all tp rolls were empty in both bathrooms. Note to thyself… bring some in the bike packs. ¿ Looks like the park itself is continuing to grow. It looks great!
The trail is closed during the the work day Monday through Friday, at the South trailhead entrance. This would have been good information to know. Prior to riding my bicycle 7 miles to that trailhead, and just have to turn around.
Overall nice flat trail. Was perfect for my cruiser bike. Was hoping to see more wildlife, but was able to get a few nice pictures.
Nice place to go since trail is shaded. Twigs and branches are in trail so difficult to inline skate at times. The bathrooms are filthy!!!
This is our sixth trail that we have tried. Very smooth. Well marked mile markers. Not a lot of scenery. We went on a beautiful Monday in June. In the six mile trip we passed about 15 people. The people seemed very friendly. Much more so than other trails we’ve tried. Do not make a special long trip for this path. It would be a great trail if you’re in the area or live locally. As far as nature we saw lots of birds and four snakes. Harmless black snakes. Bathrooms were not plentiful and very dirty. No trash anywhere on the trail.
the trail has been extended on the southern end and now it's 9+ miles and ends at Plymouth Avenue instead of Denton Avenue
Easy ride. Trail is clean-has a few leaves & sticks. Easy to park & go to the trail.
This trail is very peaceful and easy to walk. Mile markers every half mile (though some are obliterated), potable water on both ends of the trail, and a bathroom on the south end. I recommend bringing a cap, sunscreen, sunglasses, bug spray, and a water bottle; you will need them. It takes me about five hours to walk the whole thing, round trip. The only fly in the ointment is that there's a lot of really trashy yards near the trail - mostly old cars and buses that have been sitting and rusting for a long time. I even saw a few cars from the 1950s that have apparently been rotting for decades! That's made up for by the beautiful scenery.
In a nutshell: I recommend this trail for a beginner. It's in a straight line. so you can't get lost, and it's close to civilization besides. It's a good way to see rural Florida, but close enough to civilization so that bears and crocodiles are not a problem.
We have done the Auburndale Trail many times. The trail itself is fine and well maintained, however, the bathrooms are a disgrace! Many times in the past it would be out of toilet paper or slightly dirty. We overlooked these shortcomings, thinking we were just catching it on an off day. Today it was so horrible I felt I had to say something. I also have photos to prove my point but I haven't figured out where to post them yet. The women's toilet was so backed up it was disgusting to even look at. There was toilet paper and trash all over the floor. The men's bathroom didn't have the same extreme problem, but was totally out of toilet paper. A better job needs to be done.
I rated this as a 4 only because it connects to the Van Fleet trail. It in itself is nothing special but the fact that it connects makes the total length 35 miles. So if you're ready for Straight flat ride of 70 miles that is nice with about 40% shade this is a great ride. Bring lots of water. The trail end has awful water and it's a long way back to the water supply. The trailhead here is also safer than the Van Fleet trailhead in Polk city.
Flat, slightly scenic, quiet. Rode from Myrtle Park to Vanfleet trailhead and back. About 13 miles round trip. Enjoyable ride.
Has a fun adventure with my fiance and puppy this morning on Auburndale Trail. It was our first time checking out the trail. The scenery was beautiful and peaceful. We enjoyed how shaded the trail was with trees. We will definitely be going back!
I happened by this little gem while biking on Rt 33 It starts on 33 and University Blvd. I immediately investigated and was pleasantly surprised on how clean and scenic it is and the road is normally quiet compared to the surrounding ones. Best of all, it's two miles from my house so I can bike there.
I normally ride the Van Fleet or Withlacochee on the weekends but this may be a great find for quick weekday evening ride after work.
Thank you so much TrailLink for providing the different bike trails in the area. I have visited Auburndale numerous of times and had no idea about this trail. The kids (6 & 10) and I went 2.5 miles down this trail on bikes and roller blades. The trail is smooth and clean! The scenery and atmosphere was wonderful too!! We can't wait to go back for riding and skating very soon. This is our new spot!
Had a great day today on the trail. Very well maintained. Will go again.
I went to ck out the dog park for the 1st time and ended up leaving shortly after with my 3 small dogs to check out the trail instead. We walked about 2 miles and enjoyed it. Very peaceful, nicely paved, plenty of shade and very well maintained. I was even surprised that zero trash was seen! The downside though was zero trashcans and zero water fountains (at least on the long walk we went on) so that was my only let down. We will be back though..and more prepared next time.
I have taken this trail for over a week now, just made it to the Van Fleet extension today. All the people I've met have been great, and a lot of the time I had the trail to myself. I recommend this ride. Hope to see you out there.
I moved to Auburndale recently, and found this trail near my home. I almost didn't ride the trail because of the negative comments. The trail is well kept, mile markers evey half mile,benches, baseball fields, parks, dog run, cows,horses, farms, and even a small honey farm:). The trail goes through a rural area, with a few trailer parks. As a 56 year old woman I felt completly safe. The trail parallels Bently rd. (655). I found this reassuring because I ride alone and if for any reason I need help, or more water it was available. It's a nice extension of Van Fleet, I can ride to my bike there rather than drive.
I try not to ride this trail often, it is an extension of the van fleet trail, but not as nice. The houses on both sides of this trail are not well kept, a few houses have cars overflowing the backyard with a strong foul odor coming from them. Also the trail is not well kept, Branches, dirt and debris was all over the trail.
This is essentially a southern extension of the Van Fleet Trail, to which is connects in Polk City. Where the Van Fleet is very rural, this trail is essentially urban, with a busy road within earshot most of the way and houses on both sides. It also has huge electricity pylons along it's length (hence the name!). It isn't as pretty or as peaceful as the Van Fleet, but it does make a nice extension if you are looking for a long ride.
Everything was nice accept when we passed under the I-4 overpass, there was a foul odor. Saw an airplane fly over from Fantasy of Flight.
I've biked this trail on three occasions now and like it very much. It is clean and well kept, there are markers every 1/2 mile, and it takes you right on to the VF Trail. My riding has been at different times of day and I've not found the sun exposure to be excessive even after 12 Noon in June. The trees on the East side make it totally shaded in the morning.
Havent been on this section of the trail in quite some time. My advice is to stay clear. Hardly any shade during the summer. Gas powered vehicles on this section of trail. Also encountered cyclist who were obsessed with the sport. High speed riders decked out like they are in the Olympics trying to break the speed record is unsafe situation for small children. Many sections of the trail also had animal feces on the trail pavement.
Also would like to add that city officials for Auburndale and TECO have the worst sections of the trail. So disappointed to ride the trail and see where citizens have thrown their trash over the fences towards the trail. Everything from car tires to toilets. What a disgrace. Not even going to go into the trail following the back side of some low income housing. Lots of garbage. STAY AWAY from this area. Lots of better places to go try Fraizer or another section of the Van Fleet. Auburndale and TECO should be ashamed.
It's a good trail but you do get alot of sun exposure and no shade.I like how it connects to the Van Fleet Trail.
Nice trail that begins at the trail head on Denton Avenue, Auburndale. Nice parking area with restrooms and a dog park nearby. This trail heads north passing through the Auburndale sports complex area then under I-4 and eventually becomes the Van Fleet Trail at the trail head in Polk City. The TECO trail crosses Pace Road with a nice bike path not mentioned anywhere else, that goes west to the future Polytechnic College area. That leg goes for several miles, I rode it for a couple of miles and turned around. Otherwise stay on the TECO trail and you will end up in Polk City at the trail head of Van FLeet.
I ride the Van Fleet trail often, but for a change of pace, I will occasionally ride this extension to the south of Van Fleet. I have traversed most trails in central Florida and I would classify this as the worst in terms of maintenance, maintenance workers courtesy, and overall upkeep. The northern most section from Polk City south for 1 mile is always littered with tree debris,glass particles and vulger profanity painted on the trail. Recently, one of the steel benches was uprooted by vandals in this section and left in the middle of the trail. The maintenance crew seems to be ever present, raping the scenic brush and never thoroughly cleaning up the debris they have left. They work in groups and are oblivious to the fact that a cyclist may want to actually ride the trial. They are very discourteous at best. If you ride this trial on weekends, beware of soccer moms and dads who plant their chairs on the edge and in the middle of the trail forcing you to ride thru a maze.Aurburndale needs to spend some time policing this trail to bring it up to central Florida standards.
The trail is very flat and easy to ride. There are about six street crossings but they aren't crowded. Its very quiet and peaceful. The southern end has a sports complex with many soccer fields. The spectators of the soccer match use the trail as sidelines and set up their chairs on the trail. We had to go single file through them for about fifty yards. This is the only shade for the spectators. If another biker was coming from the other direction, we would need to stop and get off our bikes. The trailhead in Auburndale was very filthy, all the garbage cans were full and trash was falling out into the parking area. We didn't use the restroom facilities.
Nearly perfectly flat with varied scenery through soccer fields, baseball fields and playgrounds. Street crossings are few and not very busy. Middle of the trail passes through some pasture land with cattle visible. Goes under Interstate 4 and proceeds into Polk City and then joins with the General Van Fleet trail.
Restrooms and water at the Auburndale trailhead. We did not utilize them so "no comment" on them.
We continued on the General Van Fleet trail for a bit to make it a bit longer ride of about 20 miles.
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