Bike Riding and WDW.... Not My Choice

[BusySpeechMom]

Hi! Looking for advise and experience. We suddenly switched gears and decided to go to WDW for our family vacation this summer. YAY!!! The last few years we have vacationed at the beaches along 30A. My husband loves that we ride our bikes as a family, etc. Whelp, last night he was looking up bike trails, etc. for Disney. I know to tread lightly and not shoot it down because I am so thrilled we are even going to WDW this year. I would like to find a compromise...he gets family bike riding and I get my week in WDW. ;-) Does anyone have any experience with bike trails, etc in WDW? Thank you!

 

[metzgardesign]

We've taken and ridden our bikes around Fort Wilderness, the trail between Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness, and the pathways around Port Orleans (Riverside and French Quarter).

Nice way to spend some time. I dunno if you are looking for more elaborate trails than that, though.

 

[hsmamato2]

hmmmm,maybe Fort Wilderness? I think there's plenty of room there! Also I see bike rentals along Boardwalk all the time..... I'm not sure about the rules for rentals vs. bring your own kind of biking.....(that's too active for me!)

 

[LSUfan4444]

I would assume you're driving to WDW....where are you staying? How many bikes will you be storing through the week and where does he/you plan on storing them?

Like others mentioned there is plenty of room to ride at Ft Wilderness and you can ride between Hollywood Studios and Epcot, along the Boardwalk, etc but it would likely take you longer to drive there and get the bikes off the racks than it would to ride the entire route.

 

[BusySpeechMom]

We are driving from Tulsa, OK. There will be four bikes. I am not sure about storage. Are there bike racks around the property? I KNOW we will have more than enough to do without riding but I think I will just let him figure it out. LOL. Our 12 year old daughter is already grumbling.

 

[LSUfan4444]

There are SOME bike racks, but the roads on grounds are not build very well to support cycling (unfortunately). Not to mentioned alot of busses and even more tourists who don't really know where they are going. As an avid cyclist, I wouldn't think of riding my bike on the roads.

There are some bike racks designed for employee use, but you won't find them all over the place and you won't find any close to your rooms for sure. Not only do alot of places not have bike racks to lock your bike too, if they see you locking your bike to a lightpole, tree, fence, etc they may just cut it. It's sad, but WDW is extremely bike unfriendly.

 

[GreatLakes]

On property I would suggest Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness. There is a trail connecting the two. When my wife and I were looking to do some biking in Orlando we decided to do it off property. I would check out BikeOrlando and select some trails and plan for a nice day of sightseeing.

 

[OhMari]

On property I would suggest Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness. There is a trail connecting the two. When my wife and I were looking to do some biking in Orlando we decided to do it off property. I would check out BikeOrlando and select some trails and plan for a nice day of sightseeing.

The trail is shut down for refurbishment, till at least 2017. We were there in February at The Wilderness Lodge and we wanted to walk down the trail to Fort Wilderness and it was closed. You can ride your bikes around the campground, but like someone said, lots of busses, cars and golf carts.

 

[GreatLakes]

The trail is shut down for refurbishment, till at least 2017. We were there in February at The Wilderness Lodge and we wanted to walk down the trail to Fort Wilderness and it was closed. You can ride your bikes around the campground, but like someone said, lots of busses, cars and golf carts.

In that case OP I would definitely check out the Orange or Seminole country trails and do a ride off property. If you want to do on property Fort Wilderness seems to be your only good option. There is traffic for sure but there is also traffic on the public roads at home so I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Tink415]

Fort wilderness has a trail that keeps you off the road for the most part, almost like a sidewalk. We've rented bikes there for a few hours.

 

[Pixiedust34]

I'm married to an avid cyclist who does heavy traffic and city riding at home, and he agrees with the above that WDW property is not cycle friendly. I think your 2 best options are Fort Wilderness (though I'm not sure where you'd store your bikes for the duration of the trip) or hit one of the many Rails to Trails in FL before or after your WDW stay. It would be a nice way to see some of the area. http://www.traillink.com/stateactivity/fl-bike-trails.aspx

 

[LSUfan4444]

though I'm not sure where you'd store your bikes for the duration of the trip

Yeah, thats my issue. I don't think it would be worth it to bring my bikes. You can rent bikes at Ft Wilderness then you don't have to worry about transporting and storing them.

Where do I rent bikes, golf carts, tennis equipment, etc.?

The Bike Barn (open 8 a.m.-6 p.m.) is located behind the Meadow Trading Post and rentsbicycles, canoes, kayaks, and equipment for fishing and tennis. Life vests (provided) must be worn by all guests while in the boats. Gear for shuffleboard is complimentary to guests with valid FW resort IDs. The phone number is (407) 824-2742. The Electric (Golf) Carts are for rent at The Outpost

 

[jgasko]

Nobody mentioned surrey bike rentals? Not port orleans for sure has them. http://www.portorleans.org/rentals.php $23 for 30 minutes on a 4 seater.

 

[OKWJan]

Have him try the West Orange bike trail if he needs to ride. Otherwise, biking around Ft. Wilderness is fun. There are also lot of trails in Celebration that are fun to check out.

 

[queenofthehive]

We just got back from a week at Saratoga Springs (plus a couple nights at POR). We rented bikes at SSR and rode along the paths there plus along the river and golf course to Old Key West. It was beautiful. There is a nature path by the the Tree House Villas on the way to Old Key West that you can explore as well. We had a great time riding bikes around this area - you could also bike to Disney Springs. We stayed at FW last year and had bikes the entire week. We used it as a mode of transportation around the campground. There are also paths here that you can ride over to Wilderness Lodge and explore. You will have a great time biking at WDW - the landscaping and scenery at the resorts are so lovely.

 

[uknowbeers]

You're better off venturing off property (25-30 mins.) for some great trails, like the South Lake -- Minneola Scenic Trail or the West Orange Trail--I've done both. Google bikeorlando.net for more. I would definitely do this on a non-park day.