In search of a new adventure I joined a group of bicycling enthusiasts at the Cape Haze Pioneer Trail on a warm July morning. The goal was to participate in a leisurely 16-mile ride. Never having biked the trail before, I did a little research first to become familiar with it. The Peace River Phosphate Company originally built the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railroad railway there in the early 1900s, primarily to ship phosphate ore from the mining areas inland at Mulberry through Arcadia to Gasparilla Island. From there, it was further transported on deepwater ships into the Gulf of Mexico and beyond. On November 20, 1999 a ribbon was cut to officially open the first phase of the Cape Haze Pioneer Trail. Charlotte County gained ownership of the right of way in 1985, and the first portion of the trail was built in 1999 from the Dr. Robert D. & Ann Mercer Trailhead (one block south of the intersection of CR 771 & SR 776) to Rotonda Boulevard. It was extended over Coral Creek to the Coral Creek Club in 2005. The southernmost portion along CR 771 from Coral Creek Club to Placida was completed in 2010. A new bridge carrying CR 771 over Coral Creek was built to accommodate bicycle and pedestrian traffic as part of the trail extension in 2010. The southern trailhead is tucked away just off the island near the Coral Creek Club. It runs from Cape Haze to just north of Placida along the right of way of the former Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway in western Port Charlotte. The northern trailhead at the Dr. Robert D. & Ann Mercer Trailhead is located at 1668 Gasparilla Road. 22 GASPARILLA ISLAND September/October 2017 Photos by Caroline Clabaugh By Sue Erwin
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