Depending on the time of day you choose to do this ride, it can either be rather enjoyable or a nightmare. It can be a pleasant late evening or Saturday jaunt, but avoid making it part of your Sunday list of things to do since there are loads of churches along the way. The Friendship Fountain, a prominent Jacksonville landmark, is where we will be starting today. It isn't that hard to find, but if there is any confusion, try looking up The Museum of Science and History or River City Brewing Company, as they are right next to it. There are plenty of picture opportunities before you even get started here. Now we go around the roundabout and head south on San Marco Blvd. At the start, this road will be quite rough going over railroad tracks and dealing with lights, but it won't last that long. For the time being, there will be detours that take you around some construction on San Marco, but it is acceptable since there are nice houses along the way and it takes you by a great vista of the St. Johns River. Once you get to San Marco Square, you will know. I recommend that you stop and take a look at some of the local Jacksonville businesses or maybe even stop for a bite to eat depending on when you're passing through. Continue on until San Marco merges into Hendricks Ave and follow this for a bit. Now you can either veer right to go on a nice curvy section of San Jose or choose to stay on Hendricks. The San Jose bit is fun, but if you are making this a night ride, there is an impressive stained glass display on a church that will be to your left if you stay on Hendricks, but you can always figure it out to where you can see both if you'd like. Regardless of which way you choose to take, you will end up back on the main stretch of San Jose. For a while now, you will have to deal with a standard busy boulevard until we reach the next nice section. There are plenty of shopping centers and restaurants along the way if you feel the need to stop and take a breather from Jacksonville drivers. Keep heading south until you see Roberts Rd. This is where the second nice section begins. San Jose goes from six lanes across down to two and leads to an excellent windy stretch, with the signs to prove it. There isn't much to see here, as it is quite sleepy and wooded, but still fun nonetheless. The end of our ride is at the junction of San Jose and S.R. 16. Taking a right will lead you to Green Cove while going straight will take you the back way to St. Augustine.
Roughly 28 miles with be added to your bike if you stick to this route and can take you about 50 minutes to an hour if you make it a straight shot and depends heavily on the traffic along the way between San Marco and Roberts Rd.
I think this one will be our first 2 out of 5 twists of the throttle. If the middle section could be removed and the San Marco and area south of Roberts Rd. could be butted right up next to each other, it would make for a much shorter ride, but much more enjoyable overall. Still one to take if you are absolutely itching for a ride.
Update: A Jacksonville is growing, the infrastructure needs to grow with it. There is plenty of construction (which translates into unwanted traffic) in the northern stretch of this ride. Be patient. Even the locals don't even know what to do sometimes. I have also included a waypoint that is worth stopping for once you get further south. Twisted Compass is a locally owned cafe and they serve up a pretty mean latte'. More development is happening south of Switzerland, too, so be wary of construction vehicles leaving and entering the roadway.
Happy riding!
Click this link to get to the .GPX file on dualsportmaps.com.
