Adventure Series: Imeson Park

If you do not have a motorcycle capable of operating in sand, DO NOT attempt this!

I've been down Zoo Parkway many, many times and all those times I've never seen this. A veritable off road playground for the not so faint at heart about 10-15 minutes from downtown Jacksonville. Just a left off of Zoo Parkway onto Imeson Park Blvd and it's literally right there.

It would be wise to pause before rolling down into the box right away. Things may look deceptively simple, but the sand here is quite loose. There are multiple entry points, some much steeper than others, so choose based on the equipment you're bringing. The .GPX file that can be found at the bottom of this post is essentially a perimeter trek around this "park" and the entry point I chose seemed to be the easiest. There are plenty of side trails here and there, but since I was on a heavy adventure bike with worn Karoo 3s, I chose to stick with what appeared to be the simplest route. The term "simplest" is used loosely.

Take the trail to the back of Imeson to gain access to this area.

Heading north along the left side of the route takes you to a massively open area that has clearly been used for extracurricular purposes by others. The trail there is not boring at all as it has some minor whoops along the way. Tread carefully since you'll still be dealing with loose sand. It had rained a few days prior to this visit, so there was a nice little pond in the center of the open bit.

Continuing to follow the line on the map will take you over to the right side of the park. This is more wooded and a little technical. The trails are tight, the loose sand is still present in addition to whoops again, and there might be animals along the way. I did not see any myself, but I did see tracks for deer, foxes, and even rabbits.

The track here looks well packed, but do not be fooled; it is quite loose

The track I took required me to double back a little on a trail that I had already taken so take care when heading back south. Heading back will bring you to another open play area. This spot has some sandy hills that, when I stood back and looked at them, actually scared me a bit. I applaud the adrenaline junkies that put the tracks seen in those paths. I wouldn't dare try some of those with my GS. If I did, a disaster would be sure to follow shortly after launch. I will admit that I tried one of the seemingly smaller hill tracks, but it spit me off the side in, what seemed to me, spectacular fashion. It was time to go home.

These inclines were probably around 45 degrees. Nuckin Futs.

The sand kickstand is the best kickstand. Unless you dig in too deep...

The route I took to get out seemed to be the easiest for me since I was tired by that point. A couple of rounds were made around the park before turning on tracking in order to figure out how it was going to be done. You'll see the multiple exits, so pick your poison as you see fit.

While it may not be a "point A to point B" adventure ride, it still counts as one in my book. Especially given the lack of decent riding in Jacksonville proper. If anything, use it as a training ground for dealing with loose sand. You will be picking your bike up a lot, especially if you bring a heavy like I did. Just make sure you come prepared and bring lots of water to stay hydrated.

Happy riding!

Click this link to access the .GPX file on dualsportmaps.com for this ride.