Where the highway ends, Bayport Park begins. Perched on the edge of the estuary where the Weeki Wachee River meets the Gulf of Mexico, it offers spectacular sunset views along with its water access.
Resources
Overview
Location: Bayport
Address: 4140 Cortez Blvd, Bayport
Fees: Free
Land Manager: Hernando County
Phone: 352-754-4027
Open daily 24 hours.
Directions
Follow SR 50 west from US 19 to the junction for Pine Island. Continue due west along CR 550 until the road ends at the park.
Details
With piers for fishing, multiple boat ramps, and access to the Coastal Paddling Trail for kayakers, Bayport Park sits just downriver of where the Mud River joins the Weeki Wachee River.
The expanses of estuary go on in all directions, since the park is a peninsula jutting out into it. Historic markers recap Bayport’s history as a fishing village.
A short accessible trail leads from the parking area into the coastal forest to the picnic shelters and a boardwalk with views out across the Gulf of Mexico.
Paddlers use Bayport Park as one of three access points for the Bayport-Linda Pedersen Paddling Trail.
You’ll be paddling against the outflow of coastal rivers and creeks from this put-in, so time your paddling trip up the trail to be with the incoming tide.