Has it really been 4 years since anybody chatted about jogging at the Contemporary/BLT?
Not for the faint of heart, but I discovered there is a great 5-mile run to be had around the Lagoon. The route is tricky because there is no foot path from the main entrance of Magic Kingdom to the Grand Floridian. Instead, you have to go through a backstage area around the rear of the theme park, which involves jogging along roads without sidewalks. There isn't much traffic if you run in the middle of the night, but there is often construction going on.
Aside from that backstage area, the rest of the route is still tricky. You can join the poorly-marked "jogging trail" through the Grand Floridian and Polynesian resorts, which is really just a series of walkways, then cut through the Transportation and Ticket Center, navigate the tour bus parking area, and continue through the World Drive underpass. How often do you get to run under a waterway with boat traffic? That short under-water stretch is unique in that it has a sidewalk.
I do wish Disney would build more sidewalks, as well as a foot bridge over the canal between the MK monorail station and the GF resort. For now, if you can avoid being hit by a bus, have a quick chat with the friendly security guards, and dodge into the grass for each passing car, this route is a great mix of Florida swampland, transportation infrastructure, and the most posh of Disney resorts.
- M