West of Tampa, this 2,144-acre park protects a large swath of the sensitive mangrove-lined northern shores of Upper Tampa Bay.
Balancing conservation and recreation, it incorporates picnic areas and green space amid pine flatwoods maintained with prescribed burns.
Pine flatwoods blanket the north end of the parkA kayak launch adjoins their large environmental education center and an outdoor classroom. And then there are the nature trails.
With separate entry points, the Bobcat, Otter, and Eagle Trails are easy interpretive walks. Tie them together on this 2.5 mile circuit through the central day use areas.
Mangroves along the Eagle TrailResources
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Overview
Location: Tampa
Length: 2.5 miles
Trailhead: 28.013522, -82.633636
Address: 8001 Double Branch Rd, Tampa
Fees: $2 per car entrance fee
Land Manager: Hillsborough County
Phone: 813-855-1765
Open 8 AM to 6 PM. Leashed dogs permitted. Watch for poison ivy on the trails.
Trails may be flooded by tides. Mosquitoes can be voracious. Restrooms are at the nature center and picnic areas.
Kayak rentals available, or bring your own paddlecraft. Fishing is welcome along the shoreline. Reserve picnic shelters in advance.
Directions
From Interstate 275 north of downtown Tampa, follow Hillsborough Ave west for 11.8 miles, nearly to the county line at Oldsmar. Turn left onto Double Branch Rd, which slips through a residential community for half a mile. Turn right to enter the park. Follow the park road around to the parking area just past the nature center.
Hike
Start with the environmental center for a walk-through of the exhibits on the habitats and inhabitants of this coastline along Upper Tampa Bay, and to pick up a map.
The first loop in the circuit, the Bobcat Trail, starts behind the classroom building adjoining it.
Entry point to the Bobcat TrailFor accessibility, a sidewalk connects the park road in front of the nature center past the classroom to the Bobcat Trail.
Sweeping past the small Bobcat Trail sign at the start of the loop, ascend past a larger sign with a map of the trail to a boardwalk among the mangroves.
Start of the Bobcat Trail loopAt a T, the boardwalk connects to the back of the nature center to the left, an alternate non-accessible route for reaching it. A sign with a QR code offers an audio tour of the trail.
Emerge onto a shallow cove rimmed with mangroves. Make a sharp right, the boardwalk shaded by tall mangroves.
Below, a low tide may reveal oyster beds. Still waters reflect the sky. A bench sits near a cut-out in the railing for fishing.
Boardwalk along the coveTurning away from the cove, walk through the mangrove to where the boardwalk ends. A quarter mile from the parking area, this concludes the accessible portion of this loop.
Continue on a shell path amid tidal flats, another Bobcat Trail sign confirming the route. Mangroves rise in clusters and sprout from grassy expanses. The footpath may be sticky.
Among the palmsCurving right, walk among cabbage palms and charred oaks past a grassy side trail and another trail sign.
Ascend slightly along an ecotone between the mangroves and coastal flatwoods. Tidal puddles form in low spots.
Back side of the outdoor classroomComing up behind the outdoor classroom, turn left after a half mile to exit the Bobcat Trail, taking the sidewalk to the park road. Turn right.
There isn’t a sidewalk between the nature center and the Otter Trail, so you must walk past where your vehicle is parked through the parking area.
Walk through the parking areaWhere a picnic pavilion is perched on the shoreline, a sidewalk resumes. Take a right when it splits at a Wildlife sign to continue through the picnic area.
The sidewalk transitions into a low boardwalk at 0.7 mile at the Otter Trail sign, with a map showing the loop.
Start of the Otter TrailCarrying the trail across a tidal marsh busy with mangroves, the boardwalk quickly ends.
Walk along the salt marsh on a grassy path into the coastal pine flatwoods, with small interpretive signs along the route.
Salt marshPines show few effects of the hurricane winds that hit this area hard in 2024, but the live oaks are spindly, largely stripped of leaves on their upper branches.
Walk through dappled shade beneath oak limbs heavily slung with Spanish moss as cabbage palms rustle in the breeze.
Slightly shaded pathAs the footpath is on the ecotone between the flatwoods and bayfront habitats, expect some mud and puddles in the footpath.
A bench positioned under a frame that might have once held a porch swing looks out over Double Branch.
Double BranchMaking a sharp turn away from the water, the path broadens while it ascends into the flatwoods, looping a wetland that’s largely hidden.
An expanse of saw palmetto stretches to the north. Reach an opening along the wetland 1.1 miles into the hike for a view into its open water interior.
Wetland at the core of the Otter TrailContinue the circle around it under tall slash pines before a westward turn. The path meanders through healthy pine flatwoods on this final stretch.
At 1.3 miles, emerge at an open grassy clearing with picnic tables under the oaks at its edges. An entry sign for the Otter Trail is on the left.
ClearingWalk towards the sidewalk swooping past the picnic pavilion and follow it to the right. Past the restrooms, it empties into a parking area.
Turn right to walk out of the parking area to the park road. Directly across the road is a small trailhead you passed along the park road on the way to the nature center.
Cross the road to the Eagle Trail trailheadAt 1.5 miles, the Eagle Trail begins at a sign with a map. It’s a round trip to a waterfront observation point.
Beneath a ghostly forest of charred sand live oaks, the path approaches a large basin of marsh and curves along its edge.
MarshA grassy opening reveals a man-made ditch through the needlerush. Most of the pines and oaks in these pine flatwoods are burnt to a crisp from a too-hot fire.
However, the ancient saw palmetto beneath them are thriving from the burn.
Mangrove boardwalkBy 1.7 miles, a boardwalk into the mangroves begins. A straightaway across mud flats at first, it tunnels into the shade of a mangrove forest.
It then makes a final turn to an observation deck, where a bench overlooks the wind-riffled waters of Mobbly Bay.
For fishermen in waders or students on field trips, a staircase at the end leads into the clear but tannic water.
Mobbly BayReturning on the same route, reach the Eagle Trail trailhead by 2.1 miles. Cross the road and backtrack through the parking area.
Join the sidewalk leading to the restrooms and picnic area. Walk past the picnic pavilions and the entrance to the Otter Trail, passing the playground.
Walkway through the picnic areaStay on the main sidewalk where one splits off to the left, taking a stroll through the pine flatwoods to the Palmetto Shelter. Turn left to exit to the park road.
Cross it and a median with posts to reach the parking area near the nature center, concluding this 2.5 mile circuit of the park.
Aim for the kiosk beyond the medianTrail Map
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