This was such a cool park. We saw so much from a snake, multiple species of birds and even a family…read moreof wild hogs. The trail is nice and spacious and good for a nice walk. We had no idea it was so close to our neighborhood and will certainly be back. It was fun taking my nephew out and having him explore this park. Would 100% recommend it.

Nice hiking trail especially under the benches of the old oak trees covered in Spanish moss. Fairly…read morequiet except for the area by the houses and in the background there is some faint traffic noise. Be careful as there may be parts of the trail which have standing water from creeks which run through the preserve. The trails are wide mostly packed grass with some sandy parts as well.

I sweared i wrote an update review about my last visit. O_o im going crazy. Lol just wanted to add…read morea heads up. The last hurricane that beat our nuts off changed the landscape of the park a bit. Theres alot of trees and branches blocking the rivers but no problem. I did noticed that the asphalt is cracked and chunks are missing in some areas. I don't recommend a skateboard or roller blades without gear. It will be fine in some sections and then you'll see the damage show up in some sections. Totally safe for runners and bicycles. I went with my temporary wheel chair n i had a couple sections that i chose to walk it by. If you have like a pro chair with air wheels? You'll be ok. The wooded areas a bit slippery, although theres shade everywhere? This is the wrong season to ho there at the moment. It is freaking hot and humid even in the shade. Please bring a cooler with you. Local shops sell backpack coolers or even a small sling one is enough. There are fountains and bathroom every few miles though so no fear if you are fit or don't have disabilities. Bring a freaking camera theres tons of fish in the river that can be seen from the crystal clear water and you'll even see tortoises just walking around the property. Its totally ok to look at them. The only time i have intervened is when they walk into the parking lot or road and i just pray they don't pee on me. It is illegal to even do that but i rather risk a ticket over a dead turtle. Please me careful driving to either side of the parking lot cuz they even cross the main road and i have stop traffic to move em. I like dashing in this area cuz i can either stop here for nap on cooler days or if im lucky? Stop at ricks meat down the road. Its a local butcher, they also make these massive sandwiches at great price and they tend to have a bbq truck outside too. The parking? Is hella small n its always packed. Parking is self serve, they upgraded from the "hope" system to a booth. As in "i hope people are paying for parking" now its 100% you have to pay n put the ticket on the dashboard or else the tortoises will take your car away. Lol The lid park looked well kept, the first come first serve shelters look good too. They big enough to throw a party. They have their own water faucets and grill. The water access has like a tub, i am presuming its so your dog drinks water from it. I recommend you use a bowl though. Never know who uses those for other things. I also noticed theres more sitting areas. Theres a couple hidden spots that look safe to look closer i would be a bit cautious cuz i was stepping over a dirt bridge n then when i looked at it at another angle i was shocked that it was just roots. O_o like theres a ton of areas that got torn up by the last hurricane that hit us. Gators? Never seen them but its Florida i don't recommend going in the water unless using boat ramp. Boat ramp, when i was there, the water level was way too low and i didn't feel safe to go down the steep ramp. I was too exhausted for my walk i didn't trust i had the energy to climb out. Usually u can see the water from the top all i saw was grass. Sound, near the over pass is loud from cars but cool area for kickass pictures. The rest of the park is windy with nice river sound. Especially in the wooden loop. Its the closest it gets to the river. It is very beautiful how you can see bass and trout just swimming by. Space is tight it has a parking area for chairs and bikes. Plenty of places to sit and two shelters to nap. If you are an audiophile / AMSR sensitive like me? This is the area to just sit n record n let the beautiful sounds take you away. I think i recorded like a solid hour of just stereo ambience. I think i covered everything. Thanks for reading and please stay hydrated!

Great park with paved pathways & a raised boardwalk. Map at location and different map online made…read morenavigating difficult as far as where the raised boardwalk side was. Would've been nice for a sign at entrance to paths. Scens and views were great. Need sign explaining the orange water. No sounds of birds in our 90 minutes there. No gators, no turtles. Guy on cart driving around but not saying hello or checking in. Never found bathrooms. Parking is a reasonable $2. Some beautiful play equipment and an exercise court of assistive equipment for working out. Boardwalk beginning to sound rickety! Hope they check it regularly. Would be nice if a few plants/trees were labeled/classified. Eg. are the purple berries edible?? Love this park.

This preserve was a nice surprise. I never knew that a fresh spring lake was in this area and…read moreavailable for a dip. The water looked crystal clear and I'm sure it's the most refreshing during these hot summer months. Gorgeous beach area to kick back and enjoy the fresh air and water. There were a few trails available along a creek and the kids really enjoyed the scenic walks, views and definitely was interested in visiting again to take a dip in the spring. $2 for entry and they take credit cards if someone is available to take payment. If you plan in advance you can purchase tickets on their online website. Camping, fishing, canoeing, kayaking , hiking , swimming , playground and sight seeing. This is place is a hidden gem

This place is closed for good. We just drove there since we move To Tampa and wanted to explore…read moremore but sadly the place looks abandoned and it's closed.

Nice quiet hiking path. The area has an industrial side, but the other is scenic views of the Tampa…read moreBay and it's inlets. There are wild flowers for viewing and the paths have been mowed since the last time we were there. Glad to have a spot reserved along this busy area for walking in nature. There is a small hill where you can overlook the bay. Sure wish there was a picnic table there! The trails are sometimes uneven and we even saw a snake.. so be careful walking. The park entrance is actually off Adamsville Rd and not Kracker Ave as listed on maps.

This is a nice place for a walk. My family and I enjoy coming here. On our visits, parking has been…read moreavailable.

The brief review I wrote down when I got back to my car was that this trail is Short, Loud, and the…read moreParking is weird. I date to say this trail is more than a mile long but I could be wrong. It's paved the whole way and has a pond running most of the length of it. There are plenty of places to sit if you get tired or watch the birds. Now is it peaceful? Hmm...as many others have mentioned, it's close to a very busy road and all the roads that intersect are also very busy. Even with headphones on, it's still pretty loud. You also have to cross one of the busy streets near the parking area and you really have to be cautious because there is no stoplight and only one of the three directions has a stop sign so two of the streets don't have to yield and may not see you crossing. The parking is also odd. There is a small paved area that stops at the dead-end down by TD Bank and you can park on the shoulders and grass on both sides of the street leading to the dead end. If you don't like parking in the grass you should probably get here during non-peak times as the parking fills up quickly. Honestly, I'd rather walk off-trail in the grass like on a hiking trail as it's not as harsh on my feet but if you're just looking for a short trail to do some running or walk in the evening, then this might be the spot for you.

In the past 6 months the Seminoles built a large tiki pavilion, tables going in 4/10. The bird…read moreblind offers seats and multiple options for photos. 5 feeders are setup and the painted bunting is a big attraction. There is a second smaller tiki hut set in the meadow with multiple bird houses. This summer we will clear and reclaim part of the trail along the north end of the park. It's free and entirely supported by volunteers and donations. Come visit!

I really wanted to give this a five star rating but I couldn't because the only birds I saw were…read moretwo ducks. I went around 3pm so not sure if timing has anything to do with it. I did enjoy the nature preserve trails, lots of butterflies but also lots of dragonfly's. I would bring but spray just in case but I didn't need it. I would like to come back here another day because it says this is a bird sanctuary so sad I didn't see much.

This is a nice walking trail with a stream to cross and the river nearby. Some sand on the trails…read moreand a good amount of shade trees. The trail is clean and wide enough to walk side by side. It's usually quiet with few hikers. Recommended!

The moneys been put in the box at the booth, it's five bucks and The Honor System is used - thena…read moreseries of slow winding snake turns up the next half mile past the canoe launch and into the parking lot & picnic area where there's also a little playground set up for screaming kids. Last week we explored to the East, logic dictates we head West because there's more land, more trails and a brisk twenty minutes in, past the equestrian area and I had wished I brought my compass . So I looked to the sun, it was my nearing 9:45AM so I made a quick little sundial and determined my bearings, keeping the rays at my right shoulder, a tall pine in the distance for extra measure. So quickly the terrain can change from soft and slow white sand to fast packed non-silty soil to brown and boggy muddy to green and lush all within a stones throw in any direction. Know this friends - you'll be given no help from signage - only arrows , there are numbers from 15 to 3 - yet, not telling ya anything at all - no maps at the gate, nobody in the booth at the gate - nobody official looking around, so be aware of that if you want to see beyond the next turn. Getting turned around is easier than going straight towards the trails end. I assumed that the 15 I saw, then the 7 I saw then the 3&4 means I'd be on a cylindrical circumnavigation - looping back to the pavement that takes you in and separated the two very different sides of the park. We came up on Dude Lake and here in this primitive shallow shored lake - along with birds, turtles are sounds unique to my ears, movements in the brush that have the dogs diving into and thrashing within - only to pop out from the other side dumbfounded and disappointed. There are things that are unseen underneath - human penetration is virtually impossible without damaging the plants, vines and thick green entanglements. I believe these are small creatures, whatever they are but emit the most beautiful sounds, whatever they are.

Nice area to go camping. The rangers explained where to go and bathroom has easy access to find.read more