On a drive through Tom Brown Park, a dizzying array of recreation choices present themselves across expansive grassy hillsides.
Extensive ballfields and tennis courts. Volleyball. Playgrounds. Numerous picnic pavilions.
One of many small pavilions in the parkDisc golf. A BMX track. A radio-controlled vehicle racetrack. A dog park. And more.
Digging deeper into its forested edges, you’ll find the park’s trails. From a gentle loop around Lake Leon to challenging singletrack, Tom Brown Park has paths for everyone.
Crossing a tributary on the Nature TrailsResources
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Overview
Location: Tallahassee
Length: 3.1 miles
Trailhead: 30.44577, -84.21163
Address: 501 Easterwood Dr, Tallahassee
Fees: Free
Restroom: Adjoining the playground
Land manager: City of Tallahassee
Phone: 850-891-3866
Open sunrise to sunset. Reserve picnic pavilions in advance.
Leashed dogs welcome, with off-leash allowed within the dog park.
Directions
Driving east from downtown Tallahassee on US 90 (Tennessee St) or south along Capital Circle East (US 319) from Interstate 10, reach the intersection of the two highways and proceed south along Capital Circle to the light at Conner Blvd. Turn left and drive east a half mile to Easterwood Drive. Turn left. This road arcs through the ballfield portion of the park, but several narrow roads on the right lead downhill to parking areas adjoining the Goose Pond Trail, a paved path with access to all of the park’s trails.
About the Park
Devoted to outdoor recreation, Tom Brown Park provides a multitude of opportunities among 300 acres along the Lake Lafayette basin.
It’s the western anchor of a chain of public lands extending east and south more than fifteen miles along the St. Marks River basin.
The park preserves an extensive bottomland forestOur focus, of course, is its trails, but this city park has an outstanding number of family-friendly activities to enjoy, with its playgrounds and dog park particularly popular.
Expect to find the ballfields and courts along Easterwood Drive busy, and the disc golf course a draw for many, spread across the central hills of the park.
The dog park has separate enclosures for large and small dogsRailroad tracks separate the park from marshy Lake Lafayette, but you can drop a line in Lake Leon for catch-and-release fishing.
Looped by an accessible trail and boardwalk, its a beauty spot in the southeast corner of the park.
Lake LeonHike
Goose Pond Trail
It takes some exploration on foot or by bike to get your bearings on the trails within the park and where they diverge.
The one constant across them all is the Goose Pond Trail, a linear 1.8 mile arc spanning the entire park. Largely paved, it does have some rough spots.
Southbound on the Goose Pond TrailParking within sight of the restrooms adjoining the largest playground, we took a walk southbound and found the dog park and Lake Leon.
A showy sinkhole pond with marshy edges, Lake Leon is circled by a 0.4-mile accessible loop, the boardwalk portion of which was closed for repairs.
Lake LeonWalking northbound, it took no time at all to discover the official start of the Lafayette Heritage Trail at a massive kiosk and LH 1 marker.
A large unpaved parking area flanks the kiosk. The shared use Lafayette Heritage Trail starts here and extends through Lafayette Heritage Trail Park to the J.R. Alford Greenway.
Kiosk for the Lafayette Heritage TrailWhile official sources claim a shorter route, our measured linear walk between the termini of the Lafayette Heritage Trail was 4.1 miles.
Two linear spur trails off that route, West Levee and Swift Creek, push the tally of marked trail for the Lafayette Heritage Trail to 5 miles.
A prominent bridge connects these adjacent parksNature Trails
On a forested hillside and creek basin below the Goose Pond Trail, the Tom Brown Park Nature Trails immerse hikers in natural habitats.
Although a former loop between bridges appears to have been washed out and abandoned, we made a 1.3 mile loop along the trails off the Lafayette Heritage Trail.
Green diamonds with a “TB” mark the Nature TrailsThe lower trails provided a panorama of wildflowers as ground cover in early spring, with jack-in-the-pulpit particularly prominent.
The upper portion of the loop grazes the hilltop within sight of the bustle of activity along the Goose Pond Trail.
Trailside jack-in-the-pulpitConnector trails up and down the hillside make it possible to shorten the walk or enhance it, with a longer loop near Lake Leon meeting the Goose Pond Trail at two points.
The lower basin, with its cascades along tributaries flowing to a creek drainage into Lake Lafayette, muffles even the sound of activities in the open portions of the park.
Diverging paths in the bottomlandsBike
Goose Pond Trail
For a 3.6 mile round-trip inside the park, the Goose Pond Trail is a natural choice for an easy ride.
Largely paved with moderate grades, it connects to all of the offroad trails in the park and extends beyond it by reaching sidepath at Conner Blvd at its south end.
Following the Goose Pond TrailFern Trail
At its north end, where the pavement ends, the 4.3 mile Fern Trail begins. This narrow singletrack leads west out of the park towards Governor’s Square Mall.
It’s tricky to navigate where it hops on roads briefly to connect broken segments, but makes a nice loop in Governor’s Park, with connectivity to a sidepath along Blair Stone Rd.
Start of the Fern TrailLafayette Heritage Trail
The prominent trail kiosk at the western terminus of the Lafayette Heritage Trail is the entry point for that doubletrack ride and the singletrack loops along it.
It’s also where you’ll ride downhill to turn off onto the West Cadillac Trail, a singletrack with blue diamonds, slicing through the wooded hillside into Lafayette Heritage Trail Park.
Start of the West Cadillac Trail along the Lafayette Heritage TrailNature Trails
Cyclists are welcome on the broader Tom Brown Nature Trails as well, which branches south from the Lafayette Heritage Trail soon after.
Marked with green diamonds, these trails extend a little more than a half mile south to Conner Blvd, meeting the Goose Pond Trail where it exits.
South exit to Conner BlvdMagnolia Mountain Bike Trail
Spanning from the West Cadillac Trail almost to the Fern Trail, the Magnolia Mountain Bike Trail is an extensive collection of singletrack loops on the steeply sloped hillside above.
A dedicated trailhead for these more challenging offroad trails is along Easterwood Dr north of the ballfields in the park, along with skills areas.
The trails are in deep shade on wooded slopesTrail Map
Explore More!
Learn more about the Lafayette Heritage Trail.
Lafayette Heritage Trail Park Hike, bike, paddle, or fish along the well-marked trails of Lafayette Heritage Trail Park in a deeply wooded landscape east of downtown Tallahassee.Video
A walk on the nature trails at Tom Brown Park
Slideshow
See our photos of Tom Brown Park
Nearby Adventures
J.R. Alford Greenway Preserving a peninsula in the Lake Lafayette basin for recreational use, the J.R. Alford Greenway is the eastern gateway to the Lafayette Heritage Trail. 
Fort Braden Trails Showcasing bluff forests and deep ravines above Lake Talquin, the Fort Braden Trails at Lake Talquin State Forest offer enough hiking along a tiered trio of trails for a weekend in the woods.
Lake Talquin State Forest With ten distinct tracts surrounding Lake Talquin, a reservoir along the Ochlockonee River, this state forest provides recreation opportunities just west of Tallahassee.
Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park Explore a true Tallahassee treasure on gentle garden paths amid plantings dating back to 1923 or along well-trodden trails into wild woodlands along Lake Hall and Lake Overstreet. 
- Hal Scott Yellow Trail - November 3, 2026
- Hal Scott Preserve - October 28, 2026
- Tradewinds Park - October 27, 2026