Stroll with salt breezes along the mangrove-lined fringes of Tampa Bay on a variety of short trails.

Dangling like an anchor into the southern waters of Tampa Bay, Mullet Key is known to the world as Fort De Soto Park, home of a rare find: unspoiled, uninhabited Suncoast beaches. During the Spanish-American War, the pressure was on to protect Tampa, since troops shipped out of the port for Cuba, and thus Fort De Soto was built, along with Fort Dade on Egmont Key. By the time troops could move into the forts, the war was over. Decommissioned in 1922, the land lay vacant for decades until Pinellas County bought it and opened the park in 1963.

After an introduction to the western fringe of the park years ago on a horseshoe crab-spotting expedition, I returned with a friend to explore the park’s three nature trails (and one historic walking trail) for 50 Hikes in Central Florida. Each provides a slightly different take on the landscape.