Upper Tampa Bay Park
Scenic preserve featuring trails, picnic areas, a nature center & canoe/kayak launch on the bay.
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Google Reviews
(from Google)Upper Tampa Bay Park, which features mangrove swamps, salt marshes, and areas where you can fish in the flats during low tide. Eagle trail has boardwalk to keep you out of the marsh. The parking is $2 and can be paid by credit card. There are a few shelters, volleyball court, horseshoe pit and a playground.
I’m a local—born and raised here—and I can’t believe this was my first time visiting Upper Tampa Bay Park. I was honestly amazed by how beautiful and well-kept everything is. The nature center is charming and thoughtfully done, with great education on native Florida flora and fauna. The boardwalks are lovely, and the views throughout the park are peaceful and refreshing. One of the most enchanting moments was walking out on the boardwalk by the water—at the very end, a wild turkey appeared, almost like a mythical creature waiting there just for me. It felt like such a special, unexpected experience. The park has plenty of shade, feels very safe, and is just incredibly pleasant to explore. Such a hidden gem—I’ll definitely be back.
I'm not sure how this park escaped my radar all my life, but boy I'm thrilled to have discovered it now! This park is unique, offering pine flat woods and palmetto scrub lands bordered by a mangrove forest! I'm shocked at how completely the highway noise disappears here. Walking the trails, it felt like I drove way out into the country, but it's just minutes from the airport and downtown Tampa. I'll be going back often to check out each trail and do paddling!
First time visit on a 40° sunny day. Trails are short and sweet. Loved the fish and (my fav) Diamondbacks terrapins in the nature center.
I walked their bobcat, otter, and eagle trails yesterday, each under one mile. Paths were mostly dirt but well maintained. My favorite was the eagle trail, which had a nice boardwalk with mangroves and a fishing spot. There's not a ton of shade, and there are dirt paths to get to the boardwalks. I enjoyed it, but would prefer something with more distance and a little more shade.