Print ArticleThe 38.2 mile Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail is an older sibling of Jacksonville's Baldwin Rail Trail and S-Line Urban Greenway. Like the S-Line Urban Greenway, it travels through some of the most urban areas of Florida. Unlike the S-Line, it's provided an economic boost to the communities it penetrates and serves.
Clearwater
Clearwater is the second largest city in Pinellas County with a population of 107,685 (2010 census). According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Clearwater holds the record for most consecutive days of sunshine in a single year, with 361 days. Known as an active epicenter for Scientologists, it is the only location along the Pinellas Trail's path where the rail line is still active.
Looking north towards Stevenson Creek in Clearwater.
Crossing Stevenson Creek.
Several neighborhood parks are located adjacent to the trail along its path through Pinellas County. 
The trail parallels an active CSX rail line that runs from St. Petersburg to Tampa. To accommodate the Pinellas Trail, an automobile lane was converted into a cycle track.
Cleveland Street crossing the Pinellas Trail in downtown Clearwater.
A detour down Cleveland Street puts you in the heart of downtown Clearwater. It's a good spot for a break from riding.
St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg is located at the southern tip of Pinellas County. With a population of 249,688 (2010 census), it's the largest city in Pinellas County and 5th largest in Florida behind Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa and Orlando. Once a popular retirement destination for Americans from the midwest, the city has reinvented itself during the 21st century. Home to one of the south's most vibrant downtowns, the city is now known as being a bicycle friendly community. Here, the Pinellas Trail travels the width of the entire city, finally terminating at St. Petersburg's downtown bayfront.
The Pinellas Trail ends at Bay Shore Drive in downtown St. Petersburg. To accommodate the trail, 1st Avenue SE was right-sized.
Infill housing and a section of abandoned track in downtown St. Petersburg.
A bike signal at the intersection of 1st Avenue South and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Street in downtown St. Petersburg.
Riding past Tropicana Field. The home of the Tampa Bay Rays MLB team.
Just west of downtown St. Petersburg, the Pinellas Trail runs through an industrial area that came to existence because of its predecessor. This building served as a freight railroad depot until the merger of the SAL and ACL in 1967. Today, it is occupied by the St. Petersburg Clay Company, which rents studio space to ceramics artists and operates a sales gallery.
Crossing 31st Street South near Gibbs High School.
Riding over the suburban intersection of Tyrone Boulevard and Park Street near Long Bayou. At the base of the overpass, a sidewalk connects pedestrians and cyclists to the Target and CVS that most drive to.
The Pinellas Trail over Central Avenue in Pasadena.
Article and images by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com.
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