Part of Hillsborough River State Park, Fort Foster State Historic Site takes you back to the era of Florida’s earliest pioneer settlers and their clashes with the native Seminoles.
Hillsborough River
Hiking, biking, paddling, camping, and other outdoor recreation, public lands, and communities along the Hillsborough River.
Hillsborough River Hiking Trails
One of Tampa’s oldest parks, Hillsborough River State Park has a 5.8-mile trail system as its centerpiece, through old-growth forest and along river rapids.
Hillsborough River State Park
Water in motion: the Hillsborough rapids foam and froth over limestone boulders beneath grand cypress trees in Class II rapids. One of Florida’s oldest state parks, Hillsborough River State Park showcases this masterpiece of nature from an overlook and trail system built by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Lettuce Lake Park
At the north edge of Tampa, Lettuce Lake Park protects 240 acres along the Hillsborough River, with a loop trail and boardwalk that shows off cypress swamps and uplands.
Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve
Providing plenty of recreation opportunities, Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve protects 16,000 acres of floodplain forests and uplands along the river’s sinuous flow south from the Green Swamp to the edge of Tampa.
Morris Bridge Park
Immersing you in the floodplain forest of the Hillsborough River, Morris Bridge Park has a short but beautiful boardwalk amid the deep shade of tall cypresses and oaks. Each twist and turn presents a different panorama of the swamp.
Tampa
While Tampa is an urban center along the north shore of Tampa Bay, it has many natural lands protecting its water supply while providing recreational opportunites
Upper Hillsborough River Hiking Trail
A linear trail, the Upper Hillsborough River Hiking Trail meanders through pine flatwoods, oak hammocks, and floodplain forests along the edge of the Hillsborough River basin.