If you are trying to get in your steps, miles or just exploring the area, Lido Key is an extremely pedestrian and runner friendly island. Fortunately, the diversity of neighborhoods, beaches, parks and water views makes for some great scenery and safe walking or running.
Distances in my walks vary from 2 to 5 miles and are not intended to be exact. All routes are out and back, some with variations. I find when I'm out walking it's not uncommon to divert down an interesting side street or try a new route just to see what's there. For many of you it's about the exercise. For me a Florida native, it's about getting outside and enjoying the hot and balmy weather.
So here is the first of my top routes for five days each starting at the directional sign on south Lido Key in the vicinity of South Boulevard of the Presidents and Garfield Drive. For each route I've provided a MyPacer link when I did the route which shows you the route details, time, steps, calories, and pictures I took along the way. You can download the route and follow it or make your own. No judging my times - I was taking pictures!
Day 1 - Ted Sperling Park for the Sunrise
This is the shortest route at 2.3 miles and it's sidewalk all the way. Along the way you'll see some of the beautiful condominium buildings (don't laugh, some people think they are beautiful) that line the beach contrasted with the woods of Ted Sperling Park on the other side of Ben Franklin Drive.
An alternative to walking on the sidewalk is to walk on the beach, with the the warm gulf waters at your feet. You can access the beach though a walkway just south of the Lido Beach Resort or just south of the Ritz-Carlton Beach Residences (the Tiki Bar is also here in the event you need a refreshment). You can also extend this walk into the trails at Ted Sperling Park which could add a couple of miles (bring bug spray for the trails - our state bird is the mosquito).
If you want to duplicate, or see all the details of this route, it can be viewed and downloaded from the MyPacer link or by clicking on the route picture below.
The halfway point of this route is the bay front shoreline at Ted Sperling Park. The views in the morning from the park bay front shoreline with the sun rising over downtown can be stunning and breathtaking (at the same time). The gallery below shows some of the pictures I took along the way including the view of downtown and Siesta Key.
To learn more about Ted Sperling Park check out my previous blog on Lido Key parks.
MyPacer can be downloaded for Apple or Android phones here. After using it for this blog I found it was a great way to capture the walks and provided lots of details about how slow i actually walk!