From here you’ll backtrack along the route you hiked to this point, skipping the spur trails on the return route. Once you cross the Oak Bridge out of the mangrove forest, the trail leads you back to the 5 Feet Over Bridge, which seems indeed to be that far above the stream below. At the Boy Scout Trail junction, keep left. Skip the turnoff to Lookout Point. At the picnic area where the Upland Trail and the Bay Boardwalk both begin, you’re 3.4 miles into your walk. Continue straight ahead along the paved Upland Trail. When you reach the back of the Cultural and Natural History Center, continue past it to tackle one final loop, the Tower Boardwalk. It starts off at a trail map sign that says PAUL GETTING MEMORIAL TRAIL.
View from the observation tower on the Tower Boardwalk
Straight through the mangroves, the boardwalk leads to an overlook on a mangrove-lined pond. The water is clear and shallow, with lots of aquatic vegetation. Oysters cling to mangrove roots along its edge. Ibis pick through the mud. As the boardwalk continues towards Riviera Bay, there is less and less shade. Make a left at the next junction, and you’ll immediately see the five-story observation tower at the end of this spur trail. You’ve hiked 4.1 miles. The boardwalk gently climbs towards the tower, with a view of the fishing pier at the end of Weedon Drive. You also might see a kayaker slip past. You can explore a 4-mile self-guided paddling loop through the preserve with a rental from Sweetwater Kayaks (727-570-4844), just down the road from the parking area towards the pier, or bring your own to launch.
Climb the tower for the panoramic view of the mangrove forest on Weedon Island, and of Riviera Bay opening onto Old Tampa Bay. The skyline of Tampa is on the north horizon, beyond the sea of mangroves covering this peninsula. The power plant is pretty obvious too. Returning to the boardwalk, make a left when you reach the main trail. The loop continues through the mangrove forest, ending as it meets the Uplands Trail, which curves around the next corner through the pines and palms. In this open area, the vegetation is younger.
Between the trail and the parking area is a fenced-in display of modern archaeology, the showy tiles in the corner speaking to the Art Deco vintage of the control tower of what was once Grand Central Airport. St. Petersburg was the first place commercial airline service began, with regular flights to Tampa in 1914 that continued for several months. This airport was built in 1929 to provide commercial service to Daytona Beach and New York City on Eastern Air Transport, which later became Eastern Airlines. Used for pilot training during World War II, the airport (renamed Sky Harbor in its later years) closed in the 1950s. Except for this unique artifact, all traces of the airport were removed after Weedon Island became a state park.
Continue back along the Upland Trail to the Cultural and Natural History Center to complete your hike. Once you reach the parking lot, you’ve tallied up 4.6 miles of exploration at this fascinating preserve.
OTHER HIKING OPTIONS
1. Tower Boardwalk. For the most expansive view in the preserve, follow the Tower Boardwalk over to the Observation Tower. This 0.8-mile loop gives you a good immersion into the mangrove forest, plus the view of St. Petersburg from the tower.
2. Boardwalk Loops. The Tower Boardwalk and the Bay Boardwalk are connected by the Upland Trail, making for an accessible 2.3-mile circuit along the mangrove fringe of Tampa Bay, including the spur boardwalk to the Bay Observation Platform. Both are fabulous for birding. If your time at the preserve is limited, focus on these popular trails.
3. Riviera Trail (27.8466, -82.6106). Starting on the opposite side of Weedon Drive, the Riviera Trail makes a 0.75-mile loop out along Riviera Bay.
4. Boy Scout Trail (27.8522, -82.6094). A separate trailhead with limited parking lets you just tackle the loops of the Boy Scout Trail. The 0.25-mile loop through the mangroves is an easy scenic walk, but starting here also lets you make the mile-long loop using the return trail that starts on your right after you cross the bridge beyond the picnic area spur. It ends at Weedon Drive; turn right and walk up the road to the trailhead.
CAMPING AND LODGING
Fort De Soto Park, 3500 Pinellas Bayway S, St. Petersburg, FL 33715 (727-582-2267, pinellascounty.org)
St. Petersburg/Madeira Beach KOA Holiday, 5400 95th Street N, St. Petersburg, FL 33708 (727-392-2233, koa.com)
Comfort Inn & Suites Northwest Gateway, 875 94th Avenue N, St. Petersburg, FL 33702 (727-563-9100, choicehotels.com)
Alafia Scrub Nature Preserve
Total distance: 1.4-mile perimeter loop on a trail network.
Hiking time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Easy to moderate
Usage: Free. Open sunrise to sunset. Leashed pets permitted, but bicycles are not.
Trailhead GPS Coordinates: 27.8609, -82.3359
Contact Information: Alafia Scrub Nature Preserve, 10243 Elbow Bend Road, Riverview, FL 33578 (813-672-7876, hillsboroughcounty.org/en/locations/alafia-scrub-nature-preserve)
A major tributary of Tampa Bay, the Alafia River rises from tributaries that start as far away as Lakeland, Mulberry, and Fort Lonesome, nearly 30 named waterways feeding a watershed of 335 square miles across southern Hillsborough County. Many public lands—including Alafia River State Park, Alderman’s Ford Conservation Park, and Alderman’s Ford Preserve—protect portions of the river’s 25 mile journey through this heavily populated area. One easily accessed piece of this puzzle is Alafia Scrub Nature Preserve, less than four miles upriver from where the river meets the bay.
Established in the late 1990s, this is a passive recreation site, 79 acres of environmentally sensitive land amid more than 61,000 acres that Hillsborough County manages in order to protect key natural features throughout the region. What’s important at this preserve, besides a natural waterfront along a tidal portion of the Alafia River, is the last remaining piece of a scrub ridge that once extended much farther west.
GETTING THERE
From I-75, take exit 250, Gibsonton. Follow Gibsonton Drive east for 0.6 mile. As the curve straightens out, make a left on Hagadorn Road. Turn left after 0.25 mile onto Elbow Bend Road. The trailhead parking area is on the left.
THE HIKE
Starting at the fenced-in trailhead adjoining the power line easement, walk through the gap in the fence and check out the kiosk. It shows a map of this preserve and other ELAPP (Environmental Lakes Acquisition & Protection Program) nature preserves. Red markers guide you south towards a tree line of oaks. Turn right. You reach the red-blazed loop at Marker 0. The trails here are narrow footpaths, pleasant to walk, and that’s what we like about this particular preserve. Fronds of dwarf palmetto lean over the footpath, and sunlight glistens through streamers of Spanish moss hanging from the high canopy of oaks and pines. While the trail briefly draws close to the property boundary fence with Elbow Bend Road, it quickly pulls away from it to immerse you in the forest. A stand of sweetbay magnolia rises in a cluster from the leaf litter of the forest floor.
Crossing a footbridge over an ephemeral waterway, the trail gains a little elevation as you reach Marker 1 at 0.3 mile. It’s tipped red and blue to indicate a junction with the blue-blazed Cut-Off Trail that runs down the middle of the preserve to provide a shortcut route. Continue straight ahead, walking through the oak hammock. Clusters of saw palmetto surround a grassy open area where you might spot a gopher tortoise grazing. Winding between the oaks and palms, the footpath is nicely carpeted in oak leaves and pine needles. Past the bench, the trail narrows significantly as the palm fronds crowd the corridor. Expect to push through them in places. Dense draperies of Spanish moss hang overhead. The oaks are taller in this part of the preserve, their limbs curving high overhead. Cabbage palms and dwarf palmetto form a jungle of fronds around you. Along one curve, you spot some dangling orange globes: wild citrus well out of reach. The next short footbridge is amid the palms. An American beautyberry catches your attention with its brilliant purple berries.
At a curve, you catch your first glimpse of the Alafia River basin, and with it, the echoes of traffic from I-75. Stepping over the
trunks of saw palmetto in the footpath, you come to the next footbridge. This one crosses a more substantial waterway flowing to the river, fringed with primordial-looking giant leather ferns. The trail climbs a small rise and provides more peeks across the estuary along the Alafia River, a sea of needlerush on this side of the waterway. Since tides can affect the river, it may be mushy underfoot as you reach Marker 2 after 0.6 mile and climb the stairs to the observation deck. This promontory provides a panorama of the river basin. While the near marshes are natural, the far shore is dotted with residences and crossed by the highway bridge. If the tide is out, you may see ibis and roseate spoonbills on the mud flats.
Estuary view along the Alafia River
Leaving the observation deck, turn right to follow the trail along the ecotone between the hammock and the marsh. The understory thickens up with saw palmetto as the trail turns away from the riverfront to start the loop back. The landscape drops off into a large basin filled with palms just before you pass Marker 3. The oaks outnumber the pines in this hammock, but you’ll notice more pines towering overhead before the trail reaches a clearing where rust-colored bluestem grass waves above the saw palmetto. This is a transition zone into the scrub ridge. Passing a red-tipped marker near a water oak, you look down and see St. John’s wort in bloom. Sphagnum moss edges the footpath as it emerges at a second intersection with the blue-blazed Cut-Off Trail at Marker 4, after 1 mile. Turn right to tack down to the next marker, which is within sight of the property boundary with an apartment complex. Before Hillsborough County bought this land to preserve it, it had already been zoned to be bulldozed for more apartments like those. Make a left at Marker 5 to continue along the trail.
Open scrub near Marker 5
As you walk along this section, it’s the bright white sand that makes the scrub ridge obvious. Sand live oaks and myrtle oaks enter the mix of oak trees rising from the clumps of saw palmetto along the footpath. Older saw palmettos arch up on long trunks, lifting well off the forest floor. A slab of concrete is half-hidden by the leaf litter. It’s at this spot that an unmarked trail heads to the right. The yellow-blazed trail connects to a pedestrian entrance at the southeast corner of the preserve. Take a short peek down it if you like, but return to the red-blazed trail to continue along the loop.
The oak hammock is more dense and mature through this part of the preserve, with taller laurel oaks and water oaks. The understory is thick with young oaks through one little stretch of trail, before the saw palmetto take over again. Transitioning into pine flatwoods, the trail comes to the close of the loop as you reach Marker 0 again. Turn right to exit the loop, and turn left when you see the fence to return to the trailhead, completing this 1.4-mile hike.
OTHER HIKING OPTIONS
1. Short Loop. Using the blue-blazed Cut-Off Trail, make a loop of less than a mile through upland habitats. The longer loop touches on the best parts of this preserve, however.
2. Gibbons Nature Preserve (27.853775, -82.277548). About 4 miles due east along Boyette Road, the Tampa Bay Conservancy manages this 60-acre preserve on bottomlands between Bell Creek and the Alafia River. Limited parking adjoins Ace Golf Driving Range at the nature preserve sign. A loop of more than a mile showcases the natural features of the preserve.
3. Alderman’s Ford Park (27.865986, -82.146501). The southernmost entrance to this extensive park has a canoe launch and access to a network of several miles of paved bike paths that extend upriver to the park’s main entrance off CR 39.
4. Alafia River State Park (27.785518, -82.137714). While this park is mainly known for equestrian trails and its classic mountain bike trails through reclaimed phosphate pits in the Alafia River basin, it also has the Old Agrico Hiking Trail, a 1-mile red-blazed loop.
CAMPING AND LODGING
Lithia Springs Park, 3932 Lithia Springs Road, Lithia, FL 33547 (813-744-5572, hillsboroughcounty.org/locations/lithia-springs-park)
Alafia River State Park, 14326 S CR 39, Lithia, FL 33547 (1-800-326-3521, floridastateparks.reserveamerica.com)
Hilton Garden Inn Tampa/Riverview/Brandon, 4328 Garden Vista Drive, Riverview, FL 33578 (813-626-6610, hilton.com)
Little Manatee River Trail
Total distance: 6.5 miles along the outer loop of the trail system.
Hiking time: 3.5–4 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Usage: $5 per vehicle. Open 8 AM to sunset. Leashed pets welcome. Bicycles not permitted.
Trailhead GPS Coordinates: 27.6754, -82.3487
Contact Information: Little Manatee River State Park, 215 Lightfoot Road, Wimauma, FL 33598 (813-671-5005, floridastateparks.org/park/Little-Manatee-River)
An island of natural habitats in an increasingly urban area, Little Manatee River State Park is much the same as when we visited for the first edition of this guidebook, but its setting has changed. Once an oasis of public land amid farms, ranches, and woodlands, it is now edged by subdivisions that press right up to the park boundaries. Fortunately, this is a very large state park, protecting more than 2,400 acres along the Little Manatee River. Rising from swamps in the southeastern corner of Hillsborough County, the Little Manatee River is deeply stained with tannins, earning it the designation of a “blackwater river.” It flows a lazy 38 miles before it feeds into Tampa Bay. Since our last visit, a relentless march of development has spilled south along US 301, leaving Little Manatee River State Park as the final buffer for the river and the rural communities that sit just south of it.
With all these new residents in the region, this has become a very busy state park. It’s always been popular for paddlers—who can check in at the Canoe Outpost for rentals and shuttles—but now the hiking trails are drawing a crowd, particularly on weekends. That’s thanks to a new alignment for the trailhead for the Little Manatee River Trail; it can now accommodate a large number of cars. A primitive backcountry campsite awaits hikers who want to spend a peaceful night under the stars—or use the full-service campground in the main part of the park, and you’ll be able to spend a full weekend hiking and canoeing along this outstanding Florida waterway. An iron ranger sits at the entrance to the trail, removing the need for you to visit the main portion of the park before your hike. Pay your fee at the parking lot and off you go.
GETTING THERE
From I-75 south of Tampa, take exit 240A, Sun City Center/Ruskin. Drive east on FL 674 through Sun City Center 3 miles to US 301. Head south on US 301 for 2.7 miles to the new trailhead on the right, just before the highway bridge over the Little Manatee River.
THE HIKE
Starting from the trailhead kiosk and iron ranger, walk in on a new linear connector along a fence line. The trail swings left into what was the original parking area, a clearing in the woods. The path narrows just past a WELCOME sign, the yellow blazes leading you into a hardwood hammock lushly carpeted in ferns. You pass an FT sign, a reminder that this trail was built and continues to be maintained by Florida Trail Association volunteers from the regional Suncoast Chapter. The trail follows a series of boardwalks through this moist hammock, where ferns crowd both sides. Stop and look closely at the many species, including giant sword ferns, marsh ferns, netted chain, and cinnamon ferns.
After 0.25 mile, you reach the beginning of the loop. Turn right. Walk into a dense upland forest, where water oak, yaupon holly, and bay magnolia share the sunlight with the slash pines that leave a thick carpet of needles on the forest floor, encouraging ferns to grow. Damage from feral hogs is evident in the low-lying areas where they root through the soft earth. Rising up through a forest dominated by laurel oaks, the trail crosses an old forest road before reaching a broad bridge over a tannic waterway lined with netted chain fern. Climbing up into an oak hammock, the trail follows a series of boardwalks at 0.6 mile through a thicket of wax myrtle. Signifying seasonal marshy conditions, red maples surround the thicket.
colorful kayaks waiting to be launched into the little manatee river
The landscape opens as you pass Marker 12 a
nd enter the pine flatwoods. While the understory is dense, the pines are not. As the footpath becomes sand, the habitat transitions through scrubby flatwoods to scrub, passing through dense thickets of diminutive oaks between patches of open sand with fluffy young sand pines and saw palmetto. An armadillo rustles under the dried fronds, rooting for grubs. Chapman’s oak, scrub live oak, and myrtle oak make up the islands of oak. Scrub relies on wildfire to replenish the habitat. When fire happens infrequently, the oaks cluster together tightly, and sand pines grow to the immense heights you see along this section of trail.
After 1.1 miles, you reach a bench and the CROSS TRAIL sign. This is a decision point. If you want a shorter hike, use the cross-trail to make a 3-mile loop. To stay with the outer loop, continue straight ahead into the sand pine forest. The trail soon curves right along the edge of a depression filled with saw palmetto—the floodplain for Cypress Creek. As the trail turns abruptly left at 1.5 miles, you descend steeply down the bluff into the floodplain, crossing a bridge over a side channel. After you scramble up the next rise, Cypress Creek comes into view. Enjoy a few minutes of solitude on the broad bridge over the creek. This is by far one of the most beautiful and serene creeks in Central Florida, where the clear tea-colored water flows gently over rippled sand. Small fish dart through the shallows.
50 Hikes in Central Florida Page 27
