Tucked between the folds of the Anclote River, North Anclote River Nature Park covers 77 acres along the river’s north shore.
Bisecting it, the Elfers Trail is a paved bike path that when complete, will connect the Coastal Anclote Trail with the Pinellas Trail across a former railroad trestle above the river basin.
Bluff along the Anclote RiverResources
Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.
Overview
Location: Tarpon Springs
Length: 1.9 miles
Trailhead: 28.165505, -82.749209
Address: 55 Dixie Hwy, Tarpon Springs
Fees: Free
Restroom: At the trailhead
Land Manager: City of Tarpon Springs
Phone: 727-942-5618
Open 7:30 AM to dusk. Graded paths are accessible with assistance.
Leashed dogs welcome; pick up after your pet. A playground and picnic tables adjoin the trailhead.
Directions
From downtown Tarpon Springs, drive north on Alt US 19, crossing the Anclote River. Less than a half mile north of that bridge, turn right on Dixie Hwy. Continue a half mile to the park entrance on the right.
Hike
Start at the gap in the fence at the end of the parking area, past the restrooms. A large map roughly illustrates the trail system.
A graveled two-track leads under the oaks to a reverse Y junction. Continue straight ahead, walking south towards the river basin.
Trailhead mapFollowing a broader graveled path in the sandhills, the occasional shade of trees is welcome to obscure the subdivision pressed up against the preserve fence.
Suburbia fades as the landscape opens to reveal salt marshes and power transmission lines.
Open area above salt marshBeyond a bridge over a tidal creek within the needlerush basin, make a left on a shellrock path a quarter mile into the hike.
At marsh level, enjoy a grass-top panorama of the basin while walking an ecotone with an oak scrub.
Marsh edgeMeeting a path on the right onto the oak-topped ridge in the marsh, follow it uphill. At a T junction, bear left.
Draped in Spanish moss swaying in the coastal breeze, sand live oaks provide shade amid a spill of grapevines across saw palmetto.
Coastal hammockAnother spill is eye-catching: shards of shells that appear to be midden material making up this high ground.
A junction with a bench has Trail signs pointing in two directions. Bear left, following the spill of shells through the forest to a bluff.
Midden material underfootKeep left again to walk above the North Anclote River, a ribbon of blue beyond a screen of trees.
Drop off the ridge to the salt marsh rim better glimpse of the broad channel and the mangrove islands in it.
At river levelBacktrack from this point, staying on the path closest to the bluff at the junction. Glimpse the river a few more times.
A bright white path parallels on the opposite side. Merge into it a half mile into the hike.
Paralleling pathsA picnic table is up ahead, and around the corner, an observation deck and fishing pier providing a clear view of the river basin and the oak-topped bluff you just hiked.
Follow the sun-drenched shellrock path away from the picnic table along the edge of the oak hammock. At a junction, bear left.
Observation deckA short spur ends at a mangrove-flanked beach on the river, which serves as a kayak launch and landing.
The long bridge just downriver is a railroad trestle in the process of being converted to pedestrian and cyclist use.
River beachWhen open, it will connect this park with the Pinellas Trail headed into downtown Tarpon Springs.
Fishermen take advantage of the shadows of the bridge to cast their lines. Heading back up the spur trail, bear left to continue the walk along the shellrock path.
Old railroad trestleA wooden staircase leads to restrooms on the ridge; we found them locked on a weekend.
Pass a Trail sign pointing up the ridge, staying with the broad path to its signposted T junction with the main path.
Junction with main pathA bench faces a pond lined with mangroves across a clearing straight ahead. Turn left and walk under the powerlines towards a paved ramp with railings.
At the top is the junction with the Elfers Trail, the bike path bisecting this park. It was actively under construction during our visit but may be open now.
Up the rampTo the left, it’ll cross over the river to the Pinellas Trail. To the right, plans are for it to interconnect with the nearby Coastal Anclote Trail.
That trail heads north to three coastal parks in Holiday, Key Vista Park the northermost.
Elfers Trail northboundDown the ramp on the opposite side of the Elfers Trail is a paved approach to an observation deck made accessible by ramps.
A mile into the hike, the deck is broad enough for views up and down a sinuous side channel of the river.
View up the channelLeave the deck to explore this peninsula. A worn footpath connects benches facing the waterway to the outflow of the mangrove pond seen earlier in the hike.
Limestone boulders jut from this fast-moving but clear narrows. Return through the sandy picnic area to the paved ramp up and over the Elfers Trail.
Narrows from a salt pondReturn along the main trail, passing the broad shellrock path at 1.2 miles.
A tenth of a mile later, past the bridge over the salt creek, a trail peels off to the left. Grazing along the north edge of the salt ponds, it affords good birding.
Start of loop north of the salt pondsMake a short loop through the coastal hammock, returning past the ponds to the main trail by 1.7 miles.
Turn left to walk under the oaks, bearing right at the final signposted junction to reach the trailhead after 1.9 miles.
Signposted junctionTrail Map
Explore More!
Video
Hiking North Anclote River Nature Park
Slideshow
See our photos from North Anclote River Nature Park
Nearby Adventures
Pinellas Trail A paved ribbon stretching the length of Pinellas County from St. Petersburg to Tarpon Springs, the Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail provides nearly 38 miles of low-stress cruising.
Anclote Gulf Park A place for spectacular sunsets, Anclote Gulf Park offers several observation points along its waterfront overlooking Anclote Key and the Gulf of Mexico.
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.
Brooker Creek Friends Trail Let the sounds of suburbia melt away just a few miles east of downtown Tarpon Springs on a 1.9 mile hiking-only loop through pine flatwoods in the Brooker Creek watershed.
- Michael Crotty Bicentennial Park - November 3, 2026
- A.J. Henry Park - November 1, 2026
- Okeeheelee Nature Center Trails - October 22, 2026