Starkey Wilderness Preserve

This place is huge! Trails all over, creeks, marshes, camping, bird watching, hiking, biking…get ready and bring a map because most trails won’t tell you were you are and getting back can get complicated if you’re way in inside the forest. There’s no entrance or parking fee, Is dog friendly and has several recreational areas for kids and family gatherings. Camping has to be paid in advance either at the web or by going to the booth in the parking before the dirt road that leads to the bird blind.

Finally a place close to Tampa Bay where you can stretch your legs without running into houses, roads, or noise. The hiking trails are wide while the bike trails are narrow and winding. Some stretches of trails consist of deep sand that might be a bit strenuous but overall the trails feel nice underfoot. Bring a map if you want to divert from the main loops and bring sunscreen, a hat, and plenty of water. We ran into a 6-foot Alligator on the trail with no water to be seen anywhere. Since we came around some saw palmettos, we only saw the gator when the dog was almost standing on him. So, you better keep your dog close ;-) A beautiful Saturday at 76 F and we didn't meet anybody after we had passed the 3 -mile loop. Nice!

Impressively large park with a newly asphalted 6 miles bike path that weaves from one side of the park to the other with toilets and water stations on both ends. The landscape is flat and covered with pine trees and shrubs. It gets a little bit repetitive after a bit. One end is the highway (another 20 minutes to Odessa) and the other connects to New Port Richey. I wish they had some kind of loop so it's not a round trip through the same path.

Beautiful park to visit. Very will managed and all the staff are passionate about the park and it’s amenities offered. Bike trails paved, trail hikes and nature walks, horse trails and a nature education building. Board walks to the creek, pavilions and many playgrounds for kids. They also have primitive camping and cabins to rent at an affordable price.

A beautiful nature preserve with tons of trails for bikes, walks, and horses! Some paved trails, some sand/shell/rock. Lots of beautiful old trees that provide great shade for majority of the area! We saw some tortoises as well which was a fun treat!