Trail development in Volusia County has grown out of a collaborative process since the late 1990s. In November 1999, the Volusia County Council approved the first Trails Plan and the official Trails Plan map.

Since then, two countywide summits have been held to update the plan and add or delete segments. These summits attracted representatives from most cities and many interested citizens. The most recent council-approved Trails Plan shows the vision for an interconnected trail network accessible to nearly all residents and visitors of Volusia County.

One of the main goals of the summits was to link schools, parks and retail outlets through a series of interconnected paths as stand-alone trails or on-road facilities. The main backbone of the system, the Showcase Multi-use Trails, are to be developed by Volusia County while various cities will contribute the links (enhanced bicycle/pedestrian trails).

Spring-to-Spring Trail

The first trail to be developed was the Spring-to-Spring Trail in western Volusia County. This multi-use trail is being constructed as a paved, 12-foot wide, separate path within public rights-of-way. To date, nearly 15 miles have been completed and opened to passionate public support.

Rail Trail

The East Central Regional Rail Trail is being constructed along the longest abandoned rail line ever purchased in Florida. The state purchased the corridor from the Florida East Coast Railway in 2007 and turned it over to Volusia and Brevard counties for development and maintenance. When complete, the rail trail will cover 50 miles, stretching from Enterprise to Edgewater with a 10-mile leg through Brevard County to Titusville.

Volusia County opened the first first rail trail segment in February 2012. The 5.7-mile segment runs from Providence Boulevard in Enterprise to State Road 415 in Osteen.

Construction on the next phase - which will include a pedestrian bridge over State Road 415, a trailhead and 3.5 miles of additional trail - is expected to begin in summer 2012.