The Punta Gorda Linear Park is a mile-long

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

Punta Gorda, Florida , nickname = , settlement_type = City , motto = , image_skyline = Punta Gorda City Hall.jpg , imagesize = 250px , image_caption = Punta Gorda City Hall , image_fla ...

. It runs from Cross Street (

US 41 U.S. Route 41, also U.S. Highway 41 (US 41), is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs from Miami, Florida, to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miami, ...

) near Helen Avenue southeast though a residential neighborhood to Fishermen's Village. Despite its short length, it connects to the

Harborwalk Harborwalk is a multi-use recreational trail located in Punta Gorda which runs along the Charlotte Harbor and the Peace River. Route description Beginning at Adrienne Street near Bayfront Health Punta Gorda on Marion Avenue, the mostly co ...

at Fishermen's Village, which runs an additional two and a half miles northeast along the

Peace River The Peace River (french: links=no, rivière de la Paix) is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River joins the Athabasca River in th ...

. It also connects to Punta Gorda's Shared-Use Path along Shreve Street.

History

The Punta Gorda Linear Park runs along a former

Florida Southern Florida Southern College (Florida Southern, Southern or FSC) is a private college in Lakeland, Florida. In 2019, the student population at FSC consisted of 3,073 students along with 130 full-time faculty members. The college offers 50 undergradu ...

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967 it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast L ...

right of way. First built in 1886, this railroad line was the Florida Southern's southernmost trackage (the rail line is still in service east of US 41 and is now operated by

Seminole Gulf Railway The Seminole Gulf Railway is a short line freight and passenger excursion railroad headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida, that operates two former CSX Transportation railroad lines in Southwest Florida. The company's Fort Myers Division, which ...

). It was the terminus of the rail line until 1904 when it was extended to

Fort Myers Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 20 ...

. The rail line provided service to the historic Long Dock in Charlotte Harbor (located near the site of the Isles Yacht Club) from 1886 to 1897. Some of the line was reactivated in 1928 to serve the Maud Street City Dock (which is the dock that Fishermen's Village resides on) up until the early 1970s.

References

{{reflist

External links

TrailLink profile for Punta Gorda Linear Park
Hiking trails in Florida Rail trails in Florida Punta Gorda, Florida Parks in Charlotte County, Florida