The
Sugarloaf Mountain Ride is a favorite among central Florida
Motorcyclists. With it's hilly inclines, and tight corners,
Sugarloaf Mountain offers a dramatic change of landscape
from the normally flat terrain of Florida. The trip began
as a standard drive out of Orlando, northbound on Florida
state road 441. As we distanced ourselves from the city
traffic I noticed more people riding motorcycles and exchanging
friendly waves. The scenery becomes more wooded and sparsely
populated once you get to the northern side of Lake Apopka,
but the real ride begins on Old Country Road 561 -which
is situated on the western side of the lake. This road and
Old Country Road 455 make a nice loop around Sugarloaf Mountain,
complete with winding curves and rather steep inclines for
Florida. Atop the Mountain you can look to the east and
see Lake Apopka, as well as the Orlando skyline on the distant
horizon. To see more pictures on this motorcycle ride, see
a
web page by the contributor (Sam).
Motorcycle
Road Quality:
Depending
on how many side roads you decide to venture down on this
route you will encounter some interesting pavement -or lack
thereof. The main route is flawless and very well maintained,
but there are several spurs that decrease in quality and
wind up dead ending or turning to sand. The traffic around
the mountain was practically non existent, which gave us
freedom to open the throttle from time to time and enjoy
the curves!
Motorcycle
Roadside Amenities:
Since
this is more of a country ride, you won't find too many
stops along the way, but at the top of the mountain where
most people stop and enjoy the view there is a house with
a water cooler near the road offering free refreshments
to thirsty riders!
Directions:
Written directions:
Start
(or end) in Apopka, FL which is a few miles northwest
of Orlando. From there head northwest on US 441
and look for when it meets County Road (CR) 448
and take a left (head west) on CR 448. Take 448
until it runs into CR 561 and take a left (head
south) all the way till it intersects with CR 455
at Howey Height. Take a left (head east) on 455
and it will turn south east and pass Sugarloaf Mountain
(on the right). Stay on 455 for 10 miles and it
will bring you into Montverde Junction. At some
point around here Rt 455 and Old Rt 50 merge and
you want to take Old CR 50 under the Ronald Reagan
Turnpike and continue south east into Killarney.
Stay on CR 50 as it now head east and brings you
into Winter Garden, FL and your route's end point
(or starting point).
Additional
Information:
-
View the weather forecast for this area from Yahoo
weather.
Do you have any pictures of this area? Contribute a photo and show other riders what they’ll see along the way.
Have you ever filmed video along this ride or in the area? Contribute the video and show riders what the area looks like.
Comments page 1 of 0
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Dr. A. C. McCann - 2005 Harley-Davidson
This user rated the route: 9 out of 10
Posted 396 days ago
What a beautiful ride. The view of Lake Apopka is amazing. Worth the trip for anyone that loves to see the beauty of God's creation.
Highly recommended.
Breathtaking Vistas any time of year. Be careful to share the road with numerous bicyclists especially on the weekends. Remember to bring your camera. Early morning ride best during hot summer months.
