Joy W.
Yelp
The west orange trail is a great place to walk, jog or bike. The only negative I would say, are the groups of bikers, mostly men, who will run you over if you don't move off the path. They do not warn you, they do not say "passing on the left." You just suddenly sense that you had better jump off the path. I have seen them almost run over people, except for the quickness of the person walking. This is mainly on Saturday. I walk on the cute dirt streets of Oakland on Saturday due to the aggression of the bikers.
The views from the trail are beautiful, peoples backyards are gorgeous, lots of birds, one eagles nest, close by the West Orange Trail. And you actually can walk down into Oakland Nature Preserve also as it is right off the west Orange trail.
There are restrooms, available. totally free, restrooms in Oakland at the historical center, and also at the different branch stations in Wintergarden and in West Oakland.
The trails are kept up by the state of Florida, and they do a good job of keeping debris off of the trail.
Unfortunately, a lot of stately old oak trees have been cut down due to development in Oakland Park, which is not Oakland but Winter Garden. As a tree lover, this hurts my heart. Within about a half mile of my house, which is in Oakland, at least 50 trees have been cut down in the last year most of them at least 50 years old and some even older.
Do come and enjoy the trees and the birds. It is a lovely walk, jog, or easy bike. If you are a biker, please, do warn people that you are passing them, many people who walk are doing a walking meditation, and it's distressing to have people suddenly pass one, without a warning. thank you in advance for that!