Sarasota, FL

Venice: Venetian Waterway Park Trail

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This is a lovely paved trail that runs along both sides of the Intracoastal Waterway, from historic downtown Venice, south to the Shamrock Park Nature Center and Caspersen Beach. The trail is a 10 mile loop, with good views of the water. Note that there aren’t that many opportunities to cross to the other side. If you want to end up at Caspersen Beach, run on the western side. On the eastern side, it’s just shy of 4 miles to Shamrock Park Nature Center. If you want to do a ‘loop’, head back on the eastern side for 2 miles to cross over at Rt. 41, near the Venice airport. and then run on the western side, where the trail leaves the waterway for a bit, and terminating 2 miles later at Venice Waterway Park. If you do the full loop, you’ll have to cross back over to the Venice Train Depot using Venice Ave.

At the northern terminus, intersect with the Legacy Trail, which runs 10.8 miles north toward Sarasota (see our separate route).

Legacy Trail Route
Essentials
  • 10 mile loop. It's ~4 miles along each side
  • 98 feet over 10 miles
  • North: Venice Beach Park/Downtown Venice on west side, Venice Train Depot on eastern side; South: Caspersen Beach Beach on west side, Shamrock Park Nature Center on east side
  • Many parking spots along the way

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Essentials
  • 10 mile loop. It's ~4 miles along each side
  • 98 feet over 10 miles
  • North: Venice Beach Park/Downtown Venice on west side, Venice Train Depot on eastern side; South: Caspersen Beach Beach on west side, Shamrock Park Nature Center on east side
  • Many parking spots along the way