Pasco’s Boardwalk to Nowhere
With stormy skies threatening, I didn’t feel comfortable going after a full re-hike of Key Vista Park last week as I planned, so I stopped at Anclote Gulf Park instead. These parks adjoin along the Gulf Coast north of the Anclote River, which marks the divider between Pinellas and Pasco Counties. What intrigued me about this park was a new kiosk and boardwalk tucked away in one corner. I walked up to it and voila, it said it led to Key Vista Park. Perfect! I remembered a boardwalk in Key Vista Park from my visit years ago. Alas, a quarter mile into the park, the boardwalk abruptly ended. No stair to disembark, just me suspended a dozen feet above the park I’d hoped to explore, with no way to safely slip off the boardwalk and down into the piney woods. Disappointing. It’s for the birds, then, I suppose - the views are great - and a time with more ample coffers to get the job done. But how strange!
Sorry you were disappointed with your Hike. We’ve come to expect anything in Pasco County. Pasco doesn’t have alot of money but it does have a lot of character! They only pave the residential roads once every 20 years. They just did our road last year. I kinda miss that dandelion that used to sprout out of the pot hole at the end of my driveway every summer. =)
Barbara, my only disappointment was the lack of a staircase - or any way to get off the boardwalk - at its end, and that just because the kiosk at the beginning of the boardwalk clearly showed it connecting to Key Vista Park. It’s a beautiful walk nonetheless, great for birding.
The boardwalk continued on to Key Vista Park, but that portion was destroyed recently by arson. You can still see the damage from the Key Vista side, near the observation tower. It’s a shame and hopefully the boardwalk will be rebuilt.