One of the few saving graces of former phosphate mines is that they provide awesome air for mountain bikers in Florida, and Alafia River State Park is one of the rare places where you can launch on a Florida downhill.
Tampa
While Tampa is an urban center along the north shore of Tampa Bay, it has a growing number of natural lands protecting drainages into the water supply of the region.
Alderman’s Ford Park
An easy loop at Alderman’s Ford Park, the Nature Trail slips behind the nature center for a walk in under ancient trees along the river’s floodplain corridor
Alderman’s Ford Preserve
Alderman’s Ford Nature Preserve offers a surprising treat for a Central Florida hike: whitewater, showcasing the Alafia River churning as it winds through a deeply eroded channel
Caladesi Island State Park
A windswept sentinel off the coast of Dunedin at the edge of Clearwater Harbor, Caladesi Island enthralls visitors with its remoteness, its quiet beaches, its extensive forests and mangrove swamps.
Caladesi Island Trail
Protecting a windswept shoreline and a variety of habitats on a barrier island, Caladesi Island State Park is one of the gems of the Florida State Parks system
E.G. Simmons Park
E.G. Simmons Park in Ruskin offers a campground along with its beaches and mazy mangrove-lined waterways for paddlers and anglers along Tampa Bay.
Eagle Lake Park
In the heart of Pinellas County, Eagle Lake Park is the legacy of the Taylor family, who helped to found Largo. This urban forest is an excellent wildlife watching destination.
Eureka Springs
Eureka Springs Park includes what remains of a tropical botanical garden established in 1938 around springs that fed a lush floodplain forest along Six Mile Creek.
Florida Trail, Central Florida
In Central Florida, the Florida Trail presents two options: east or west around the Orlando metro. Forested public lands provide protection for much of the route.
Florida Trail, Western Corridor
With 241 miles of Florida Trail segments linking Withlacoochee State Forest and the Cross Florida Greenway, the Western Corridor provides access to wild spaces north of Tampa.