Camp Bayou Nature Preserve is an easy place to learn about Florida’s varied ecosystems and a perfect nature getaway for families.
Although the trails are accessible throughout the week, the nature center and fossil museum are only open on certain days.
The preserve can be explored on foot or by launching a paddle craft onto the Little Manatee River at the canoe dock.
The Tortoise Trail at Camp BayouResources
Resources for exploring the area
Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.
Overview
Location: Ruskin
Length: 2.8 mile loop
Trailhead: 27.667312, -82.402325
Address: 4140 24th Street SE, Ruskin
Fees: Free
Restrooms: Adjacent to the nature center
Land manager: Hillsborough County
Phone: 813-671-7754
Open daily from 8-6.
Directions
From the Interstate 75 exit at Sun City Center, north of the Ruskin rest area, follow SR 674 (College Ave) west for 1.3 mile to 24th St SE. Drive south 3.2 miles to the entrance to Camp Bayou Nature Center on the right.
Hike
From the parking area, head east, following a dirt road towards the nature center. In less than a hundred feet, be sure to stop at the butterfly garden.
A vine-covered archway marks the entrance to a short pathway through an impressive array of native plants, each one labeled with common and scientific names.
Native plant gardenAfter a tenth of a mile, turn left at a sign for the Tortoise trail. After passing an informative bird watching pavilion, look for a kiosk displaying a map of the property at the next intersection.
Stay to the left, following red blazes along a pathway lined with palmettos under a thick canopy of oaks.
Follow the well-worn path as the landscape transitions to scrubby flatwoods. Abundant signs indicate the direction of the trail as it winds through a shady hardwood forest.
At 0.7 mile, turn left onto the blue-blazed Palmetto Pass trail.
Palmetto PassTrue to its name, Palmetto Pass weaves through seas of palmettos and along sandy service roads, an ideal landscape for the gopher tortoises that reside here.
At 1.6 miles, turn left at the yellow blazes, passing by the Paleo Preserve fossil museum.
Young gopher tortoiseIn 0.2 mile, the trail crosses a paved road before beginning to follow the Little Manatee River.
Initially, the waterway is obscured by dense shrubs, though openings in the vegetation begin to reveal its dark tannic waters.
Little Manatee RiverAs the trail is squeezed between riverbends on a small stretch of land, it weaves through pilings from an abandoned construction project.
This half-built structure is a relic from a former fish camp at this location.
At one point, the county considered turning it into a viewing platform before floods eroded the riverbank along with some of the supports.
Remnants of an old fish campContinue following yellow blazes as the trail ventures out onto a peninsula created by an oxbow in the river.
The path narrows considerably as it ventures into a dense subtropical jungle for another 0.2 mile before making a little loop at the end.
Jungle peninsulaReturning to the thin bridge of land sandwiched between the Little Manatee River, panoramic views are available on both banks.
It is easy to imagine the waterway will someday cut off this peninsula, creating an island in the process.
Cabbage palm over the riverIn another 0.2 mile, charred tree skeletons stand at an intersection of trails.
Stay to the left, following yellow painted posts along an access road for a tenth of a mile before returning to the parking area.
Follow the yellow-topped postsTrail Map
Explore More!
Nearby Adventures
More worth exploring while you’re in this area.
Cockroach Bay Nature Preserve
Directly across Tampa Bay from St. Petersburg, two loop trails in Cockroach Bay Nature Preserve navigate restored wetlands and a lookout point known as Mount Cockroach.
Hightower Trail System
Strongly influenced by nearby Tampa Bay, Terra Ceia Preserve State Park protects unique landscapes where marine and terrestrial ecosystems blend seamlessly.
Little Manatee River Corridor Nature Preserve
In the Little Manatee River watershed, the 579 Trailhead offers access to a pair of loop trails across palmetto prairies and shady oak hammocks.
Little Manatee River State Park
With sandy shores around every bend and a canopy of trees overhead, Little Manatee River State Park provides a place for a pretty paddling trip for families.