A plan in the works by the Hernando Citrus Metropolitan Planning Organization would potentially connect Dunellon to Tallahassee via a series of bike trails along the length of the Nature Coast. Many area bikers are looking forward to the chance to explore new territory.

  • Nature Coast Regional Connector would run between Dunellon and state capitol
  • Planners believe Connector could bring more tourism to Citrus, Hernando Counties
  • Connector still years away

For Alicia Shafer, biking isn't just a hobby, it’s a way of life.

"I usually bike about three to four times a week," Schafer said.

She prefers to ride instead of drive to work, making the seven mile trek down the Withlacochee State Trail to David’s World Cycle in Inverness each day.

"I just like the way it makes me feel. It's easier than running. It's better on your body," Schafer explained.

She said she's always looking for new places to ride, and would be eager to hop onto a new trail and explore other parts of the coast.

"I've already done the whole trail a couple of times, so to have something new and, you know, to be able to go further would be an awesome opportunity," she said.

The proposed Nature Coast Regional Connector would provide bike enthusiasts like Shafer the chance to ride all the way to the state capitol. It would connect existing trails between Tallahassee and Dunellon.

While the connector wouldn't run directly into Citrus County, it would connect with the Withlacochee State Trail.

"Dunnellon would be the center of the trail universe," Steven Diaz with the Hernando Citrus Metropolitan Planning Organization said. "They will have at least four trails that intersect into Dunnellon, which is huge."

Diaz, who is working with the MPO in Tallahassee to plan the connector, said connecting the trails could also bring more people into Citrus and Hernando County, boosting economic growth.

"People that want to do long distance riding, your eco-tourists type thing, the credit card cyclists that ride long distance and take a credit card and stay at B&Bs along the way, that's what will be attractive to these kids of trails,” Diaz said.

It's good news for Shafer and her job as well. The hope is that more people using the trail might lead to more people stopping and checking out the store.

Completing the connector is still years away, however. Several other projects, like a coast-to-coast bike trail, have to be finished first.