Adjoining Key Vista Park, Anclote Gulf Park packs a lot into its 23-acre ribbon of waterfront.
The park’s fishing pier is its biggest draw. A picnic area and playground gives families a place to enjoy a meal outdoors, and paddlers have a launch.
A dog park provides separate areas for large and small dogs along with an agility playset.
Picnic area on the bluffCyclists can hop on the Coastal Anclote Trail at this trailhead to traverse its paved paths through Anclote that connect multiple park.
For the views, pair a waterfront stroll to the observation deck with the park’s boardwalk to Key Vista Park for a 1.1 mile round trip.
The boardwalkResources
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Overview
Location: Holiday
Length: 1.1 miles
Trailhead: 28.1927, -82.7861
Address: 2305 Baillies Bluff Rd, Holiday
Fees: Free
Restroom: Near the kayak launch
Land manager: Pasco County
Phone: 727-942-4030
Open daily dawn to dusk. Fishing pier open 24/7. Pets and bicycles are not permitted on boardwalk or on the pier.
Directions
From US 19 in New Port Richey, follow Moog Road west to Straber Memorial Hwy. Continue south to the T intersection, and turn left onto Ballies Bluff Rd. Pass the entrance to Key Vista Nature Park before reaching the park entrance on the right a mile later.
Hike
The parking area is centrally located, enabling an easy round trip in both directions. Start with a walk towards the restrooms.
Make a right turn when facing the stairs down to the kayak launch, following the sidewalk out to the Gulf.
Kayak launch stairs
At the end of the sidewalk is an observation deck straight ahead. It’s a popular spot for watching the sun set over Anclote Key.
That barrier island protects this sheltered basin known as the Anclote Anchorage, why there is minimal wave action and no real beach here.
Observation deck and pierThe pier is always busy with people fishing, but it also offers a look back at this forested coastline if you go out to the end of it.
Return past the restrooms to follow the walkway through the picnic area, passing the playground.
Start of the boardwalk at treelineAt the far end of the open green space, the boardwalk begins. It provides accessible elevated views across coastal habitats.
There are mangrove swamps below it, often inundated during high tides and after a heavy rain.
A zigzagging descentFlanked by cabbage palms and spindly black mangroves, look down. A trickle of water seeps between pnuemataphores in a regular flow.
Views hemmed in by mangroves, make a turn into a straightaway heading towards the coast.
StraightawayJog through two more turns separated by straightaways. The boardwalk now faces tall pines in the distance.
A basin of mangrove swamp separates this structure from the high ground with the pines.
Pines mark the high groundPass through a broad spot on a corner, an observation deck where the surrounding trees have blocked off the view.
Around the curve, another jog finally reveals open water between gaps in the trees, views of the Gulf to the western horizon.
Coastal view from the boardwalkThe second observation deck is the turnaround point for a round-trip within Anclote Gulf Park.
Add more hiking by descending the staircase to the footpath below. It leads north to the loop at Key Vista Park.
Key Vista Nature Park Discover a new perspective on the Gulf of Mexico from the observation tower at Key Vista Nature Park, a coastal gem with a natural sandy beach and gentle footpaths.If you hike its full outer loop and return to this point, it adds another 1.5 miles to this hike. Shorter loops are possible.
Or, from the front gate of Key Vista Park, take a right on the paved Coastal Anclote Trail at the to loop back to this park’s entrance, adding a minimum of 1.7 miles.
Otherwise, turn around and return along the boardwalk for a 1.1 mile hike within Anclote Gulf Park.
Returning through the mangrove swampTrail Map
Explore More!
Video
Hiking Anclote Gulf Park
Slideshow
See our photos of Anclote Gulf Park
Nearby Adventures
North Anclote River Nature Park Along the sinuous Anclote River, this Tarpon Springs city park hides its natural waterfront beyond grassy and marshy expanses. 
Anclote Key Preserve State Park A place to play Robinson Crusoe for a day or overnight, Anclote Key Preserve State Park is an offshore gem in the Gulf of Mexico made up of four islands within sight of Tarpon Springs
Wall Springs Park Discover the beauty of a historic spring feeding Boggy Bayou and an amazing panorama from an outstanding observation tower on this largely accessible 1.2 mile coastal circuit.
A.L. Anderson Park Along busy US 19 in Tarpon Springs, A.L. Anderson Park hugs the western shore of Lake Tarpon, with a nature trail and boardwalk following the cypress-lined shore.
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