Palm Beach island Lake Trail: the e-bike ban and the Four Arts detour

The Lake Trail follows the lagoon side of the island, and two things about it have changed the way a ride or a walk works this season. One is a rule that covers every electric bike and scooter. The other is a construction closure across one stretch of the trail. We read the Town of Palm Beach’s Hours and Schedules page, the Town Code on Municode and the Society of the Four Arts’ renovation FAQs on October 21, 2026.

The rule: Sec. 118-11

The Town says all electric and motorized modes of transportation are prohibited on the Lake Trail by Town Ordinance Sec. 118-11. The Code’s wording is broad. It makes it unlawful to operate any motor-driven or animal-drawn vehicle on the lake trail, micromobility devices included. The exceptions are police, fire and public works vehicles and vehicles with a permit.

• The Town says all electric and motorized modes of transportation are prohibited on the Lake Trail by Town Ordinance Sec. 118-11. Town of Palm Beach: Hours & Schedules
• Town Code Sec. 118-11 makes it unlawful to operate any motor-driven or animal-drawn vehicle, including micromobility devices, on the lake trail, except police, fire, public works and permitted vehicles. Town of Palm Beach Code of Ordinances, Chapter 118 (Municode)

In practice that rules out an e-bike, a stand-up scooter, a motorized skateboard and anything else with a battery or an engine pushing it. The Town’s visitor page says the same thing in plain words: electric bicycles, motorized skateboards and other motorized vehicles are not permitted. A pedal bike, running shoes or a walk are what the trail is for.

Micromobility off the trail

The rule does not end at the trail. The Town says micromobility vehicles are not permitted on the Lake Trail, on town sidewalks, in commercial districts or on multimodal trails. Where they may be used, operators must be at least 15 and carry a government ID, and riders under 16 must wear a helmet. So a scooter is no way to reach Worth Avenue from the trail, either.

• The Town says micromobility vehicles are not permitted on the Lake Trail, town sidewalks, commercial districts and multimodal trails; operators must be at least 15 and carry a government ID; helmets are required under 16. Town of Palm Beach: New Resident and Visitor Resources

The Four Arts closure and the signed detour

The Society of the Four Arts is renovating its campus along the Intracoastal Waterway, and the trail runs through it. The Four Arts says cyclist and pedestrian access to the Lake Trail where it crosses the campus is closed for the construction project, with signage showing the route back to the trail. No reopening date is published, and the Four Arts says the west half of the campus will be fenced for the duration of the project.

• The Four Arts says cyclist and pedestrian access to the Lake Trail where it crosses the Four Arts campus is closed for its construction project, with signage showing the route back to the trail. The Society of the Four Arts: Renovation FAQs
• The Four Arts says Lake Trail access across its campus is closed during construction; no reopening date is published, and the west half of the campus will be fenced for the duration of the project. The Society of the Four Arts: Renovation FAQs

Follow the posted signs rather than cutting through. The Four Arts gardens stay open to walkers, free, but the Four Arts does not allow bicycles, skateboards or pets other than leashed service dogs in them, so riders cannot use the gardens as a shortcut. The campus sits at Four Arts Plaza, the first left after the Royal Park Bridge, as the Four Arts gives the directions. Our Four Arts season guide explains what the renovation has moved.

• The Four Arts does not permit pets (except leashed service dogs), bicycles, skateboards, weddings or formal photography in the gardens. The Society of the Four Arts: General information and hours
• The Four Arts says that from I-95 visitors take Exit 70, Okeechobee Boulevard, east and cross the Royal Park Bridge, then make the first left onto Four Arts Plaza. The Society of the Four Arts: Directions

How long is it? Two figures

The Town calls the Lake Trail nearly six miles long, taking bikers, joggers and walkers from the Royal Park Bridge to the North End of the island. Discover The Palm Beaches, the county’s tourism office, says 5 and a half miles, from South Lake Drive near Peruvian Avenue to just north of the Sailfish Club, in a 1.7-mile south section and a 3.3-mile north section.

• The Town calls the Lake Trail nearly six miles long, taking bikers, joggers and walkers from the Royal Park Bridge to the North End of the island. Town of Palm Beach: New Resident and Visitor Resources
• Discover The Palm Beaches says the trail is 5 and a half miles long, from South Lake Drive near Peruvian Avenue north to just north of the Sailfish Club, in a 1.7-mile south section and a 3.3-mile north section. Discover The Palm Beaches: Walking & Biking The Palm Beach Lake Trail

Add the two sections and you get 5.0 miles, 0.5 mile short of the same blog’s 5.5 total; the blog does not explain the difference. The two sources also start and end at different points, so the figures measure different stretches. No Town page gives an exact length, a start point or trail hours, so an exact figure is not published. We show both.

• The Town calls the Lake Trail "nearly six-mile" (Royal Park Bridge to the North End). Discover The Palm Beaches says 5.5 miles (South Lake Drive near Peruvian Avenue to just north of the Sailfish Club). No Town page gives an exact length, start point or hours. Town of Palm Beach: New Resident and Visitor Resources

Restrooms and where to park

The suggestion to start at the south end is not the Town’s. It comes from the Discover The Palm Beaches blog, which notes a lack of public restrooms along the trail and suggests parking at the south end, at South Lake Drive and Peruvian Avenue, where it says there is paid public parking. The Town’s own table lists South Lake Drive (Marina parking) meters as active from 4 PM to midnight, and the 200 and 300 blocks of Peruvian from 9 AM to 5 PM.

• Discover The Palm Beaches notes a lack of public restrooms along the trail and suggests parking at the south end at South Lake Drive and Peruvian Avenue, where there is paid public parking. Discover The Palm Beaches: Walking & Biking The Palm Beach Lake Trail
• The Town says South Lake Drive (Marina parking) meters are active 4:00 pm to midnight. Town of Palm Beach: Park in Palm Beach
• The Town says meters on Worth Avenue (zones 46102, 46206, 46306, 46406), the 200 and 300 blocks of South County Road, One Whitehall Way (46605), Four Arts Plaza, the 200 and 300 blocks of Peruvian and the North End streets are active from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Town of Palm Beach: Park in Palm Beach

The Town’s parking map tells a slightly different story. It shows six spaces in the South Lake Drive marina zone, paid 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday to Saturday, which conflicts with the parking page’s 4 PM start. On Peruvian, the map gives the 200 and 300 blocks 70 spaces at $5.00 an hour with four-hour caps, matching the Worth Avenue Association’s four-hour figure, and marks them paid Monday to Saturday. Whether meters are enforced on Sundays is not published on the Town’s parking page. One thing to skip: the Four Arts asks that its lots be used by people attending its programs or visiting its libraries or gardens, not by trail users. The parking picker lists every zone near the trail.

• The walking tour page notes three-hour metered parking on Worth Avenue and four-hour metered parking on Peruvian with the ParkMobile app. Worth Avenue Association: Historical Walking Tour of Worth Avenue
• Neither the Park in Palm Beach page nor the Master Fee Schedule says whether meters are enforced on Sundays or Town holidays. Town of Palm Beach: Park in Palm Beach

For the full route, access points and what is along the way, see our Lake Trail guide. To fold a ride into a day on the island, the day planner orders stops from Worth Avenue at South County Road.

Lake Trail questions

Written by the Downtown Palm Beach Editorial Team. Some content may be AI-generated. People check every fact before it publishes.

Dates, rules and hours can change. The organisers have the final word: Town of Palm Beach (official site)