Ocala National Forest Motorcycle Ride
From Orlando take the Florida Turnpike north to Interstate 75. Proceed north on I-75 to State Highway 40 (Exit 69) at Ocala. Turn right and proceed east through Ocala and on into the Ocala National Forest. Stop at the Information Center as you go in. You'll find numerous rest and recreation areas where you can take a break in the oldest National Forest east of the Mississippi.
Once you've entered the National Forest you'll find a couple of different routes that are very nice. You can stay on Hwy 40 and go straight across the forest to Barberville where you'll make a right and go south on Hwy. 17. This will return you to Interstate 4 where you'll take I-4 west back to Orlando. Total Road Time: About 5 hours
Alternate Routes:
Red Leg After departing Ocala National Forest continue east on Hwy. 40 until you reach Ormond Beach. Make a right on A1A (coastal highway) and take a ride to "The World's Most Famous Beach", Daytona Beach. Get a hotel room and stay the night or grab dinner and head on back to Orlando via Interstate 4. Total Road Time: About 6 hours
Green Leg After entering Ocala National Forest make a left on Hwy 314 and proceed to Salt Springs. At Salt Springs make a right on Hwy 19 which will take you down the shoreline of Lake George. Stay on 19 until you arrive in Eustis. Make a right on Lakeshore Drive for a nice ride along the Lake Eustis shoreline until you come to Hwy 441. Make a left on 441 (south) and follow it on back into Orlando. Mount Dora is a rustic little town where you might want to stop for dinner or a stroll through the antique shops. Total Road Time: About 6 hours
Notes and recommendations:
We don't recommend taking this trip at night. In addition to missing the scenery, the forest is full of bears and other animals and nobody wants to hit a bear doing over 30 mph. It makes you fall off your bike and makes the bears angry!
Fuel up in Ocala before entering the forest, especially if you're going to be going all the way across to Daytona.
On many coastal highways the State of Florida has incorporated oyster shell into the pavement. For the first 15 minutes after it starts raining oil seeps from the roads and makes it like driving on ice. Be careful out there.
As with all road trips, take regular breaks, make sure you take along a good sunscreen, water, etc.
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