Hiking Sawgrass Lake Park

An urban natural area, Sawgrass Lake Park is the product of a collaboration between Pinellas County and the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

In the early 2010s, the agencies conducted major restoration projects, removing invasive vegetation and contaminants from the soil.

Two boardwalks offer a unique view of the shaded wetlands, one of which offers an observation tower overlooking the namesake lake.

Resources

Resources for exploring the area

Central Florida Orlando Explorers Guide book cover

Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover

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: Pinellas Park
Length: 1.9 mile loop and round-trip
Trailhead: 27.83942, -82.66768
Address: 7400 25th St N, St. Petersburg
Fees: Free
Restroom: At the visitor center
Land manager: Pinellas County
Phone: 727-217-7256

Open 7 AM – 8 PM daily.

Dogs are allowed on a leash in the park, but not on the boardwalk or in the nature center.

Directions

From Interstate 275, head west to Haines Rd N, and take a right. Turn right again about a quarter mile down the road, onto 28th St N. In 0.2 miles, turn right onto 62nd Ave N, then turn left into 25th St N. The park entrance is at the end of the road.

Hike

From the parking area at the visitor center, head north about a tenth of a mile. The boardwalk begins here at a covered bridge over a drainage canal.

Shortly after crossing the bridge, signs indicate a boardwalk heading to the overlook tower to the west, and the Maple and Hammock Trails to the east. Turn right here to begin the boardwalk loop.

Trail junction signs for Sawgrass, Hammock, Maple Trails

Trail signage at the first junction

Dense native vegetation surrounds the well-maintained boardwalk on both sides.

A jungle of giant leather ferns, maples, sable palms, and oaks border the elevated pathway that winds through the swamp.

A bounty of ferns

A quarter mile along the path, a tin-roofed shelter offers a quiet resting spot to the left of the boardwalk.

Multiple species of trees loom above the boardwalk. It continues past a shelter to the right at a quarter mile, then through the middle of a large shelter at a half mile.

Shelter along the trail

After the trail leads through the shelter, another sign indicates a split with the Maple and Hammock trails.

Sign at trail junction of Maple and Hammock Trails

Signage at the trail split

Turn left to head down a short boardwalk to the sandy Hammock Trail. The terrain changes quite a bit.

The wooded path is bordered by grasses, oaks, dwarf sable palms, and large beautyberry bushes.

Beautiful flora along the footpath

At 0.6 miles, turn left to begin the Oak Hammock loop. The path is wide and well-maintained, bordered by ferns, grapevines, and oaks covered in Spanish moss.

Benches are placed throughout, to rest and reflect.

A bench along the path

A large pavilion is at 1.1 miles on the right, and the path interestingly is made of brick for about a hundred feet.

About a tenth of a mile further, the loop ends, and the boardwalk begins again.

At the junction of the Maple and Hammock trails, turn left to continue the Maple Trail boardwalk.

Brick walkway in the woods

The boardwalk splits again in about 300 feet. Turning to the left heads to a noisy shelter on the edge of I-275.

Heading right, the path heads through more dense native vegetation, then over another canal bridge to a concrete walkway.

Along the Maple Trail boardwalk

At the beginning of the sidewalk, an information kiosk describes a large garden of plants installed to attract pollinators.

The bushes were in bloom in late summer, displaying multiple colors of flowers, covered in butterflies.

Butterfly garden in bloom

Follow the sidewalk for a quarter mile to the beginning of the loop. At this point, the observation tower can be accessed on a 0.7-mile round trip to the west.

Cross the canal bridge again and turn left. At a tenth of a mile, a shelter provides a view of the canal and possible alligators as indicated by a nearby sign.

The boardwalk splits into a loop, with a sign indicating the tower is in either direction.

Tower sign at the start of the loop

Turn left to find another shelter, then walk another tenth of a mile and turn left again down a short walkway to the tower.

The structure is tall and offers a great view of the lake and surrounding swamp. Heading back, turn left to complete the loop back to the visitor center.