A collaborative effort between Pasco County and Southwest Florida Water Management District, Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park is one of the larger pieces of public land on the Suncoast.
Named for the rancher who last ran cattle across these pine woods and prairies, it protects a massive landscape and watershed between the Pithlachascotee and Anclote Rivers.
Pithlachascotee River at the end of the River Spur on the Nature TrailThe park itself is over 8,300 acres. Including adjacent Serenova and Anclote River Ranch preserve lands, there are more than 19,000 acres of watershed in the public trust as Starkey Preserve.
The proximity of Starkey Wilderness Park to densely populated New Port Richey means it is a popular getaway for recreation.
Tallying its hiking, biking, and equestrian trail systems, there are more than 50 miles of trails.
Parking Area 7 trailhead is the best approach for all hiking trails and for the Starkey TrailNo matter whether you’re looking for an easy hike with the kids, an overnighter in the backcountry, off-road trails to ride, or paved paths to cycle, they’re all here.
The park also features several camping options, too, for both groups and individuals: tent camping, cabins, and backcountry sites.
There are day use picnic areas, a playground, an environmental education center, a Storywalk and Nature Trail, and the Bluebird Trail, a birding trail and bird blind constructed by the local Audubon chapter.
Environmental Education CenterResources
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Overview
Location: New Port Richey
Trailhead: 28.2522, -82.6496
Address: 10500 Wilderness Park Blvd, New Port Richey
Fees: Free
Restroom: Four restrooms throughout the day use areas
Land manager: Pasco County
Phone: 727-834-3247
Open daily dawn to dusk. Leashed dogs welcome in day use areas.
Campers must have reservations for backcountry sites. Call the park in advance.
Directions
From the Suncoast Parkway, follow SR 54 west to Little Rd (CR 1). Drive north 2.2 miles. Turn right on River Crossing Blvd and go 1.3 miles, then make a left on Starkey Blvd. Continue a quarter mile to make a right on Wilderness Road, which leads into the park and ends at the very back of the park near the parking areas by the Nature Trail. Parking Area 8 works well for the Nature Trail, Blackbird Trail, and Starkey Trail access. Parking Area 7 has direct access to the Nature Trail. Other trails begin near the day use area and horse corral area.
About the Park
While the park is named for Mr. Starkey, who was still running a ranch-based ecotour adjacent to the park when we first visited, ranching on this land dates back much farther.
James McNeil, an Ocala native born on land acquired by his family under the Armed Occupation Act of 1842, served as a Confederate officer in the Civil War.
The McNeil HomesteadHe was likely able to obtain acreage along the Anclote River thanks to the Southern Homestead Act of 1866 making more homesteads available in Florida.
In 1882, he paid the state 90 cents an acre for the land he built his homestead on.
Little remains of it today, but there is a historic marker in the woods and a family cemetery.
An interpretive trail circles the McNeil HomesteadAfter McNeil, the land was purchased in 1906 and changed hands again in 1915.
J.B. Starkey bought the expanse in 1937 and sold 8,000 acres to the state in the early 1970s.
Over more than a century, there were turpentine camps and timber operations, a raised bed railway for logging and bridges built across the rivers.
Archaeological sites in the park date back to Florida’s earliest peoples, who would seasonally move in from the coast for hunting or agriculture.
Park staff and volunteers lead interpretive hikes to destinations within the park that are off the beaten path but historically significant to the region.
A Florida box turtle we encountered on a backcountry hikeTrails at Starkey Wilderness
Starkey Wilderness Park is a place for trails. Since we first visited it in 2001 to explore the backcountry loops and the nature trail for the first edition of 50 Hikes in Central Florida, its offerings have continued to expand.
Our most recent visits in 2025 enabled us to map more trails and explore the entire paved Starkey Trail, which stretches a linear 7.5 miles across the entire preserve.
The Starkey Trail extends due east from the front entrance to the Suncoast TrailStarkey Wilderness Nature Trail
The Nature Trail extends from the northernmost parking area through lush hardwood hammocks along the Pithlachascotee River floodplain.
Blazed aqua green, it has two access points to its loop, the original one from Parking Area 8 enabling easy interconnection with the Bluebird Trail and Starkey Trail.
Ancient oak on the River SpurA more well-marked access point at Parking Area 7 has corporate sponsorship, plus a set of trails in the wooded island between parking areas with a StoryWalk for kids.
The main loop and spur delves deep into the ancient hardwood forest, passing beneath massive trees. A spur path ends along the often-muddy shoreline of the headwaters of the Pithlachascotee.
Starkey Wilderness Nature Trail On a 1.3 mile route, the Nature Trail at Starkey Wilderness Park burrows deep into the Pithlachascotee River floodplain amid enormous trees and deep shade.Birding Trail
Marked with signs with a bluebird as well as blue blazes, the 2.8-mile Bluebird Trail connects the Nature Trail and the 3 Mile Loop.
It spans from scrub to wetlands, edging a large cypress-lined pond before reaching lily-dotted Grassy Lake.
Along the lake is a very large bird blind, a project of West Pasco Audubon. From it, we watched sandhill cranes on the wet prairie.
The group holds programs at the Starkey Environmental Education Building the first Saturday of each month, and leads birding hikes here.
Among the birds spotted at Starkey Wilderness Park are the Florida scrub-jay, sandhill crane, American kestrel, swallow-tailed kite, and, of course, bluebirds.
Starkey Wilderness Loop
Blazed orange, the Starkey Wilderness Loop is a chain of loop trails extending east across the central portion of the preserve.
Signage and mileage starts adjacent to the horse corral and campground and mainly follows old forest roads. You can also access it via the Bluebird Trail from Parking Area 7.
The trailhead for this loop adjoins the horse corralsThe nearest loop in the chain is 1.6 miles and circles a wetland, followed by the 3 Mile Loop marked by a sign and a prominent bench. These are considered the Day Use Loop.
Although we measured it at 1.6 miles from the corral trailhead, signs call the short loop the “1.9 mile loop.”
Beyond these loops, continue along a 0.6 mile linear connector to the next loop of 5 miles, home to two primitive campsites.
Campsite 3 (Al Force)Connecting to Campsite 2 by way of another linear connector, there is one final 3 mile loop at the eastern end of the preserve.
It is in a very open scrubby flatwoods landscape, and utilizes the paved trail for its northern side.
Putting all three loops and the two connectors together tallies 13.9 miles. Backpacking is welcome. There are three backcountry campsites, all of which must be reserved in advance either online or by phone.
Numbered hiker symbol signposts are at intersections, but we have yet to find an official map that shows how they correspond to the actual route.
Starkey Wilderness Loop At popular Starkey Wilderness Park, string three loop trails together for a truly wild 13.8 mile backcountry trek across scrub, sandhill, flatwoods, and cypress swamps. Starkey Trail
A paved bike trail, the Starkey Trail spans 7.5 miles across the park, connecting cyclists with the 42-mile Suncoast Trail heading north to Brooksville.
Both are part of the statewide Florida Coast-to-Coast Trail between Titusville and St. Petersburg.
The paved trail parallels Wilderness Drive after leaving the woods and exits the park to join a side path down CR 1 to work its way through bike path connections to the Pinellas Trail.
Starkey Park Mountain Bike Trails
The SWAMP Mountain Bike Club has built 20 miles of twisting, winding backcountry singletrack through Starkey Wilderness Park.
Their trails interconnect with the Starkey Wilderness Loop but mainly stay to their own routes. Start your ride from Parking Lot 10 in the day use area.
One of the routes close to the trailheadJust after you cross the paved Starkey Trail, the first junction splits to the left for the 7-mile Rudy’s Ramble and to the right for the 7-mile Twisted Pine.
The 1 mile Bobcat Trail connects these two routes together farther east.
At the eastern end of the bike trails is Deliverance, which winds around for 5 miles east of the power transmission lines to connect the two 7 mile trails together at their ends.
Download a map of the route from the SWAMP Mountain Bike Club website from the button at the bottom of this page.
Numbers correspond to the SWAMP Mountain Bike Trail Map on their 20 miles of trails (Al Force)Equestrian Trails
Marked equestrian trails extend 7.5 miles from the corral and parking area east to the south of the Starkey Wilderness Loop and the off-road bike trails.
These run through vast open scrubby flatwoods and along the floodplain of the Anclote River, and may be wet in places.
Camping
In addition to the backcountry campsites along the hiking and biking trails, Starkey Wilderness Park offers 16 tent sites and 8 primitive cabins in their camping area.
There is a picnic shelter for the use of the tent campers as well as a bathhouse with showers facilities. Camping must be reserved in advance. Do so online or call the park.
Primitive tent campsite near the trailhead for the Starkey Wilderness Loop (Al Force)Trail Map
Explore More!
Video
Hiking Starkey Wilderness
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