Clearwater Beach is at the northern end of heavily-populated Pinellas County, so although most of the traiils are in urban parks, there are some wide open spaces as you get closer to the northern border of the county. A slender peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay, it offers many coastal walks great for birding.
Caladesi Island State Park
Protecting a windswept shoreline and a variety of habitats on a barrier island off the historic coastal community of Dunedin, Caladesi Island State Park is undoubtedly one of the gems of the Florida State Parks system. It’s been named the top beach in the United States, thanks to its quiet and remote location, the view [...]
Honeymoon Island State Park
On this barrier island just north of Clearwater Beach, the Osprey Trail at Honeymoon Island State Park offers a close-up look at a rookery of “sea eagles,” the noble osprey. There are nesting colonies of osprey and pelicans along the Osprey and Pelican Trails, and sweeping views across the sound and the Gulf of Mexico. [...]
James E Grey Preserve
James E. Grey Preserve is a hidden treasure on the outskirts of New Port Richey, a quiet rural breather along the Pithlachascotee River. It’s in a most unexpected place: surrounded by modern-day subdivisions, a tiny patch of rural Florida exists down a bumpy one-lane limerock road, a handful of residences deep in the woods and [...]
John Chesnut Sr. Park
With its extensive waterfront on Lake Tarpon and Brooker Creek in Oldsmar, John Chesnut Sr. Park has always been a popular natural getaway for folks near Tampa and Clearwater Beach. Pop in any weekend and you’ll see the picnic pavilions busy and people headed out on the water from the boat ramp. In this 255-acre [...]
Moccasin Lake Nature Park
Sitting at the base of busy US 19 in Clearwater, Moccasin Lake Nature Park preserves a lush patch of native forest and a stream for the public to enjoy. Centered on a popular nature center, it’s an ideal place to take the kids for a gentle nature adventure. Resources Overview Location: Clearwater Length: 1 mile [...]
The Friends Trail
Looping through pine flatwoods in the middle of suburbia, the Friends Trail at Brooker Creek Preserve offers an escape from busy Pinellas County life. This was the first trail to open on the county’s largest nature preserve and remains a quiet getaway at the end of a dead-end road. While less than 2 miles long, [...]
Upper Tampa Bay County Park
Located west of Tampa off Hillsborough Avenue, this 2,144 acre park protects a large swath of the sensitive mangrove-lined northern shores of Upper Tampa Bay, a massive estuary. Centered on a large Environmental Study Center, the park is very popular for family and group picnics, and for paddlers to launch into the shallows of the [...]
