"A 10-mile-long party." That is what Underline founder Meg Daly promised, as the Miami Herald reported in August, for the day the last section of the linear park under Metrorail is finished. The party has no date yet. The section it is waiting on runs through Coral Gables beside the University of Miami. The Herald says that section "will contain some of the trail's most elaborate features."
For now, anyone heading out from Brickell, the Grove or South Miami is using two separate trails with a construction zone between them. Each half is already worth the trip on its own terms, and the big centerpiece features are planned for the missing middle. When that stretch opens, the trail's daily use will change, and so will the question of who pays to run it.
Seven Miles Open, Split in Two
After the August 15 opening, the Herald counted seven of The Underline's 10 miles as finished and open. Those seven miles don't connect, though. They form a northern trail that reaches the Miami River and a southern trail that ends at Dadeland.
| Section | Where it runs | Status this fall | Stops worth knowing by name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brickell Backyard, Phase 1 | Miami River to SW 13th Street | Open since February 26, 2021 | River Room, Urban Gym, Oolite Room, Promenade |
| Phase 2 | SW 13th Street to SW 19th Avenue, 2.14 miles | Open since April 24, 2024 | Simpson Park Playground, Vizcaya Station Plaza, 17th Avenue Plaza |
| Phase 3, north | Coconut Grove at SW 27th Avenue through Coral Gables north of LeJeune Road | Opened earlier in 2026, connects to the river | Inter Grove Gallery, Chewy Bark Park |
| Phase 3, middle | Coral Gables along the University of Miami | Under construction, expected to wrap by December | Pineland Courts, Rock Ridge Plaza, Stormwater Ponds |
| Phase 3, south | Red Road to Dadeland, 1.17 miles | Ceremonially opened August 15, 2026 | Nikki Spoelstra Play Forest, Mariposa Gardens, micro-forests |
According to Miami-Dade County's project page, Phase 3 covers 7.36 miles, from near Vizcaya to Dadeland South. Most of that phase now exists in pieces. The piece still missing sits right in the center.
The Northern Trail Is the Art Trail
From the river south, the open miles work more like an outdoor gallery with exercise stations than a commuter path. At Brickell Backyard, the River Room holds Duality, a sculpture by Hank Willis Thomas. Bony Ramirez artwork sits at Urban Gym, the Typoe sculpture garden fills 11th Street Plaza, and Edny Jean Joseph's 90-foot mural The Allegory runs through the Oolite Room. County materials also list a flex basketball and soccer court, an outdoor gym, communal dining and game areas, and four butterfly gardens along this first stretch.
Below SW 13th Street the art keeps going. The Hammock Playground at SW 15th Road and SW 1st Avenue pairs Jeppe Hein's Modified Social Bench with Athena Tacha's Leaning Arches and the Hide and Seek Murals by Nice N' Easy. Phase 2 offers Wi-Fi at Vizcaya and Simpson Park, a bike repair station, and bioswales planted along the corridor.
In the Grove, Inter Grove Gallery between SW 24th and SW 27th Avenues has a bocce court, a community bookshelf, and Milagros at the Temple of Abundance, Alexandre Arrechea's mural painted across eight columns. When the space opened in November 2025, Coconut Grove Spotlight reported that a second Inter Café trailer debuted there, and that the venue has room for more vendors. Farther along, past the Grove into Coral Gables, the Herald called Chewy Bark Park near LeJeune "instantly popular." According to The Underline's location page, the fenced park has separate areas for large and small dogs plus an agility course.
The Southern Trail Is the Green Trail
The section that opened in August feels different. According to the Herald's walk-through, its north entry is marked by Mariposa Gardens and a "village for birds," a cluster of Underline-green birdhouses. Micro-forests stand near the butterfly garden and just past SW 70th Avenue. These are dense, fast-growing plantings of native trees and shrubs, designed to cool the US-1 corridor and support wildlife.
The Nikki Spoelstra Play Forest, beside South Miami City Hall, is the family stop on this end. Friends of The Underline announced that it officially opened Saturday, August 15. The Herald also reports that SOMI Bike Shop sits next to the trail access at SW 80th Street and offers repairs, gear, snacks and drinks.
The southern trail is also the less polished half. Between the two Dadeland stations the corridor narrows. The Herald describes that stretch as landscaped but "mostly utilitarian," with none of the gardens or features found farther north.
Where the Edges Are Rough Right Now
Construction at the two Dadeland stations and at Douglas Road creates rough spots that don't show on a map. As of the Herald's midsummer field report:
- Dadeland North: The old M-Path connection behind the station garage is blocked. Green Underline circles on the floor mark a route through the station, and signs tell cyclists to dismount and walk the tenth of a mile.
- Dadeland South: The last approach is unfinished. Riders squeeze through a narrow alley between fences and then a maze of signs and traffic cones.
- Douglas Road station: It is under renovation, and the trail connections through it are sketchy or missing.
- Major crossings: Use extra care at Kendall Drive and the State Road 878 exit ramp. Some intersections have new bright-green crossings and no-right-on-red signs.
Miami-Dade's Phase 3 page says detour information goes out through construction advisories and on-site signs. Until the middle section opens, the signs posted on site are the guide to follow.
The Missing Middle Holds the Courts
Most of the trail is open, and much of what remains is being built along UM. On the trail's own site, The Underline lists these features planned for that stretch:
- Pineland Courts, near Carillo Street and Stanford Drive: four pickleball courts and a regulation basketball court.
- Rock Ridge Plaza: space for events, classes, food vendors, art and gatherings.
- Stormwater Ponds, between Donatello Street and Granada Boulevard.
The County's Phase 3 design documents also name a Water Balcony and rain gardens along the route.
That changes what each half of the trail is good for. In the north, the courts are concentrated at Brickell's flex court. In the south, the draw is gardens and a playground. Once the middle opens, the trail gets pickleball courts and a plaza built for food vendors and classes. It also gets one continuous route, so a ride from Dadeland can end at the Miami River without a detour onto surface streets.
Who Pays Once the Fencing Comes Down
According to an October 3 Herald report, construction is expected to wrap up by December. That is years early, thanks to a substantial federal grant. Supporters had not expected the full operating bill to arrive so soon. The Herald puts annual operating costs at about $9.5 million once the whole trail is finished.
Here is how that cost is being split, according to the same report:
- Friends of The Underline aims to cover 60% of estimated operating costs next year through private donors and sponsorships.
- Miami-Dade County has agreed to provide several million dollars a year for three years, tapering annually.
- Coral Gables, Miami and South Miami were asked for about 30% of the total. At its final 2027 budget hearing, Coral Gables approved $500,000 for fiscal year 2027, half of the $1 million requested, plus $180,000 for fiscal year 2026.
The Gables deal also gives the city a seat on the Underline Conservancy board, which oversees the park's operations. Other terms include audited financials and an annual meeting to negotiate future funding. For people along the corridor, this means the gardens, courts and programming they use will depend on yearly budget decisions in three city halls, beginning with the year the trail is finished.
What's Running on the Open Miles This Season
The Underline events calendar lists regular programs on both halves of the northern trail. There is UYoga on Saturdays at Urban Gym and on Thursdays at Vizcaya Station Plaza, plus Pilates at Inter Stage in Brickell. The calendar also lists free Levitt BLOC concerts and skate-club meetups. When the middle section opens, Rock Ridge Plaza is designed to add a third base for classes and events, this time beside UM.
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