This is a nice preserve on S.R. 52 east of the junction with 41. It is used by remote control…read moreaircraft operators and has a landing strip. There are some wide trails (ie. dirt roads) that get hot in summer. There are some blackberry bushes for foragers... Cypress Creek Preserve and Upper Pithlachascotee River Preserve are also in the area

Florida's natural habitat at it's finest Hope it never…read morechanges Animals wild & free & trees hundreds of years old Make this place a historical hidden treasure

Very basic with several areas "under construction " including the tower. Quick stop the. We were…read moreback in the car.

Kids playground area is dirty, as well as right next to porta-potties that you can smell from the…read morepark. Worst is the back walk area has been closed and under construction for what 5 years now. Clearly they've given up on this park.

Lake Dan Preserve is a cool enough place to spend a bit of time. It gives us a glimpse of untamed…read moreFlorida and reminds us that before tourism and theme parks forever changed the landscape of the Sunshine State, Florida was wild and untamed. I enjoy seeking out these places when I am traveling for business. It is great to find these hidden gems. One of the great things about traveling for work are these discoveries. I seek them out and am better for finding them. I encourage you to check this place out and seek out these hidden gems whether in your travels or even right there in your community.

Lake Dan Preserve is hidden in the back of a neighborhood with no signs on Tarpon Springs Rd…read moreindicating it's existence. If I lived nearby I'd keep it that way because this Hillsborough county park was an unexpected find that I thought was a beaut. At first glance, a small parking lot, playground and pavilion isn't much. However, once on the hiking trail a nice boardwalk with benches goes over a large lake. I used a trail guide from a QR code that led me to a Hillsborough park website to help me navigate because most signs in the park are colored posts and colors on trees indicating the path the hiker is on. I didn't see any signs indicating where paths went or their distance once at the park When I visited Lake Dan Preserve, I went straight (over the bridge/boardwalk) and took the second left (the red trail) and a few feet down is a picturesque lake that would make a great back drop for photos or an amazing place to relax by a small pond. Turn right and go down the yellow trail and you can hike into neighbouring Lake Francis Preserve. I choose to vear off and hike the connecting blue trail. The blue trail goes down a gravel road into several large open pastures. I must've said this is gorgeous 15 times. A short time later the trail turns as the back side of Trinity starts to come into view in the distance. As the path continues, it leads to Lake Dan and a fishing pier. It's basically a shorter version of the park's entrance bridge looking out a vibrant and large lake. Birds, fish and some cows mooing in the distance makes the pier a nice place to relax. Although, I can't imagine hiking that distance to find it crowded. When I visited Lake Dan my car was the only one in the parking lot and I didn't see another person inside the park. I plan on visiting this preserve again as I thought some it's views we're nice enough to be back drops in movie scenes. It's wide open spaces and lack of people inside made it's trails an excellent place to enjoy a peaceful hike.

Stumbled upon this park on a wander…read more It was well tender and cared for, and in use. Always good to see parks being used!

Just a short drive North out of Brooksville, in a historic locale you'll find this off the beaten…read morepath gem. I prefer to call it a hidden gem. You won't find tons of traffic, people, noise or banter. IF that's what ya want, head to the beach! Instead you will find solace. Serenity. Quiet. A place to relax and reflect. The park is 'anchored' by a small lake. No speed boats, just reflections of the clouds above. There are a few small trails to conquer. And a short rickety wooden bridge, not much higher than tall grass, and no longer than a moment. But it's all a portrait of simple pleasures. I will sometimes just sit at one of the rustic wooden picnic tables and wonder how that huge oak got uprooted but still thrives. For me that's a symbol of pure survival, and a reminder to us humans. If you let it, time can slow down or even stand still here. Leave the driving to Mother Nature, and relax. Enjoy!

I only come here for the 4th of July fireworks, and it's a dope place to be…read more Fireworks last 30 minutes and it's seriously consistent, with a great finale to end everything. I had a GREAT front row seat during the whole thing. You can either park on the Causeway or in the park I, chose the park. I believe the Causeway is a little bit overrated due to lack of shade , unless you plan on hanging out on the tailgate of your SUV or inside your Camper/Van. You need to make sure you get there early, I was there at 4:30pm and the fireworks starts at 9:00pm. There are things around to entertain you while you wait, I'm an extrovert so, I pretty much talked/met with a lot of people, it was very fun! All-In-All I'll be back next year with the same plan I had today! Totally worth it when it was only Free-hundred dollars!

This would be nice in the winter or anytime that it's not too hot to put my hammock up on the trees…read moreand just hang out. It's nice to have trees on the beach for once. This is where you can take those pics. They also have picnic tables. As for swimming, I would say no. So much seaweed and not enough water. I believe it's a combination of the tide and the lack of rain too. The parking here is $6 and you can pay through park mobile. They say no dogs and there are tons of signs. My pup and I stayed in our car while my husband went to check the water. It was a good reminder why we don't go to this beach. Unfortunately, this was the day of the craziness in Clearwater with the teen takeover with all the chaos.

This is a nice little park with a grassy area, smallish playground, and bridge that connects to…read moreGill Dawg, Hooters, and a few other eateries and a bar with pool tables along the river. There's also a kayak (probs SUP too. ) rental place. Bathrooms. Picnic area. Nearby Green Key Park and the parks in the Trouble Creek road area are nice too. :)

VERY small area (I personally would not call it a park). Well maintained but NO wildlife or natural…read moreenvironment. Did not see ANY birds or wildlife. LOTS of cement. So if you are from a large city, don't like nature and most comfortable with concrete, cars, city noises, etc. you will like it. I did not enjoy my experience. I walked my dog past the tiny playground that looked really old. Very short trail for bikes, short grassy trail for walkers. It looked overly manicured to me like most small yards around houses in our area. My back yard is almost as big as the only small grassy area that had a few trees, but my yard has birds, butterflies, more native plants and trees, much more enjoyable. The path was mostly sunny without shade. I walked around a lot because I wanted exercise, but ten minutes could cover the entire area even walking very slow. There are benches and a bridge that are nice but I don't plan to return. To me it was a waste of my time. I love nature and long walks so this was not for me.

A hidden gem! Very clean, good trails, lots of water views. And monkey-ear trees! Dogs allowed on…read moreleash.

Discovered this nature/wildlife area while I was biking the Pinellas trail, and such a beautiful…read morefind! No shortage of gorgeous views!

I've driven past Lake Francis Preserve many times and never knew it existed…read more After traveling down the main road, I parked in the open field parking lot and walked the rest of the way into the park through the pedestrian gate. Almost immediately after entering the park, I seen cows not far away from where I was standing. The rest of my walk consisted of me walking toward them (further into the park) and them turning around every few feet. Eventually we reached a large group of cows at the end of the road near a gate. At this point, most of the cows moved out of my way but a few bulls stared me down. I yelled at one that I thought was going to come toward me and it swung it's head and backed away. It turns out Lake Francis leases it's land to a cattle rancher and he/she left their gate open probably on purpose so the cows can roam freely. Essentially where all the cows ended up congregating and eat at is where hikers turn to continue on a primitive trail that connects to Lake Dan Preserve. I didn't see any signs indicating a turn and kept going straight over a fence and a wild boar saw me and took off into the woods, and snarled at me as I passed by. When I reached the cattle rancher's out post I realized I wasn't where I was supposed to be and ended up walking back. So you don't make the same mistake I did, click the QR code on the trail guide sign at the pedestrian gate when you walk into the park because signage is poorly marked after entry. The QR code populates a website that displays several trails, and explains how they differ by showing photos. The scenery of Lake Francis is very pretty but there isn't much to do besides stare at the cows and use the deteriorating road as a jogging path. Be mindful there isn't much shade and there lots or cow poop everywhere. When I return I'd like to hike the primitive trail that leads to Lake Dan Preserve to see what that's all about. If you haven't visited Lake Francis give it a try and experience this park for yourself and take in the quiet setting of it's pastures and animals. It's very different from other nearby parks and all the busyness of Tarpon Springs Road is non-existent.

I was excited when I found Lake Frances Nature Preserve as I hadn't noticed it before, so I decided…read moreto investigate it. What I found was a Horse park, mostly. The parking area is for trailer parking, and there is a 1.5 mile road, but no shade. You can hike, but be aware of the local wildlife as this is as primative as you'll get.