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Early giving starts today! Nov. 14 – 16

What makes your Commodore Trail support different?

100% Matching Fund Donation by the Friends’ Board.
100% goes to build your Trail and your Trail community.
2023 focus is adding grants. Amplifying your donation 5x.
The goal is many, small donations. ($25 is great! The average is $113.)

Trail Update

Repairs along Douglas Road were actually accomplished this month!
Woo hoo! Our advocacy for safety maintenance is actually working!
A month ago, this photo would have shown a heavily damaged, pot-holed and dangerous pathway. Now it’s just dangerously narrow and close to the road…but still a big improvement.

In The News

We made the Herald’s front page. Now we have some work to do. The article is one of the most important public recognition of our work to date. Learn more about the Herald article here.

The Master Plan

Creating a safe, fun, beautiful, sharable 5-mile corridor through Coconut Grove—The Commodore Trail—takes more than talk. A coordinated master plan precedes the first shovel of dirt to plant a tree or pave a bike path. The Commodore Trail Master Plan provides the framework for sidewalks, tree canopy, roadways, school access, parks, sidewalk cafes, art, history, and recreation.

This year-long design project employs top urban planning professionals to present creative alternatives to area residents and craft the master plan. We should all voice our priorities.

The resultant master plan will do more than sketch concepts for later construction. Funding, operations, maintenance, historic and cultural support, and environmental conservation will all be part of the picture.

Friends of the Commodore Trail join together to push this plan forward and build a team of neighbors to keep it going…And have fun. We like to have fun.

Learn more here

THE COMMODORE TRAIL MASTER PLAN IS IN MOTION!!

You Can Shape the Future of Coconut Grove. Learn about the Commodore Trail Master Framework Plan and how you can influence your neighborhood’s future. It’s a year-long process that shares our best ideas to create a crown jewel for Miami’s future. Learn more and get connected here.

WHY WE CARE

Every day hundreds of people walk, run, or bike along the historic Commodore Trail, a five-mile path hugging Biscayne Bay from Coral Gables to Key Biscayne. The trail is Miami’s best-kept not-so-secret destination. While the Commodore Trail is heavily used, few residents know its name, let alone its importance.

The mission of Friends of the Commodore Trail is to advocate for the improvement and maintenance of the trail. We are a group of neighbors committed to advocating for a safe, functional, well-designed path for all to love and enjoy.

The Commodore Trail represents the best of Miami – its beauty, history, and unique environment. Join our movement and help us advocate for a better Commodore Trail for future generations.

About the Trail

Original rock road to Coconut Grove from Miami (present-day Commodore Trail), c. 1890. (Detroit Publishing Company photograph collection, Library of Congress)

The Commodore Trail traces its roots to the first settlers in our region. Then as now, it is a vital link connecting those who live and work along the shores of Biscayne Bay. Click here to learn about the rich history of this historic path, which includes some of area’s oldest and most architecturally significant structures.

A RICH HISTORY (CLICK TO READ MORE)

Today’s Commodore Trail is an important piece of Miami-Dade County’s expanding trail system. The north portal of the five-mile route connects with the Rickenbacker Trail near Alice Wainwright Park, and the south portal crosses the bicycle/pedestrian bridge over the Coral Gables Waterway and connects with the Old Cutler Trail at Cartagena (Cocoplum) Circle.

Nearly 20,000 people live within a quarter mile of the Trail, and nearly 36,000 people live within half a mile. A continuous multimodal corridor, the Commodore Trail connects pedestrians, runners, cyclists, and others to:

3 major multi-use trails
Rickenbacker, Underline, Old Cutler

3 Metrorail stations
Vizcaya, Coconut Grove, Douglas

10 public parks
Wainwright, Steele, Kennedy, Regatta, Myers, Peacock, Kirk Munroe Tennis Center, Barnacle, Sunrise Harbor, Ingraham

11+ historic locations
Vizcaya, Miami City Hall, Woman’s Club of Coconut Grove, Barnacle, Mariah Brown House, Coconut Grove Playhouse, Plymouth Church, El Jardin, Kampong, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas House, and more

11 public and private schools
LaSalle, Ransom Everglades, St. Stephens, Coconut Grove Elem., Frances S. Tucker Elem., Plymouth Preschool, St. Hugh Catholic School, Chabad of Miami, Carrollton School, Vanguard

In addition to functioning as a major corridor for transportation and recreation, the Commodore Trail connects many of MIami’s most important historic, cultural, and recreational sites. Click the image below for an overview of the Trail’s numerous connections and attractions.

Who We Are

Founded in April 2018, Friends of the Commodore Trail is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to improving and completing the historic Commodore Trail corridor.

MISSION
Advocate for the improvement and maintenance of the five-mile Commodore Trail as a multi-use urban pathway, with an emphasis on its beauty, safety, and functionality.

VISION
Enhance our community by improving connectivity, safety, health, and economic development.

PARTNERS AND SUPPORTERS
We are proud to partner with the Coconut Grove Village Council, Coconut Grove Rotary, Barnacle Society, University of Miami, Florida International University, the Kampong and International Center on Tropical Botany, Coconut Grove Business Improvement District, City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, City of Miami District 2 Commissioner Ken Russell, and Miami-Dade County, among others. Learn more.

OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Our board of directors is made up of committed, engaged, and creative members of the community. Learn more.

What We Do

We advocate for the improvement and maintenance of the five-mile Commodore Trail as a multi-use urban pathway, with an emphasis on its beauty, safety, and functionality. We want to ensure pedestrians, cyclists and motorists can enjoy all this historic route has to offer.

Since our initial meetings in the spring of 2018 and a bike ride on the Commodore Trail from Miami City Hall to the Barnacle led by Mayor Francis Suarez in May 2018, we have accomplished a great deal and initiated several projects to improve the Trail. Learn more.

Join Us/Donate

We cannot do this work alone. We need your support. Preserving and maintaining the Commodore Trail benefits all of us.

DONATE
Please consider supporting our advocacy efforts. Click here to donate online. Or you can send a check to Friends of the Commodore Trail, 3109 Grand Ave. #288, Coconut Grove, FL 33133.

STAY INFORMED
Subscribe to our regular e-newsletter to learn about our work and upcoming community events. Sign up here.

FOLLOW OUR JOURNEY.

VOLUNTEER
Help with us with special projects and activities. Please let us know about your interests and availability by clicking here.