Hiking Walsingham Park

A wooded oasis in the suburbs of St. Petersburg, Walsingham Park boasts 350 acres of land surrounding Walsingham Lake in Largo.

As a family friendly destination, the park offers miles of multi-use trails, a dog park, playground equipment, a fishing dock and multiple picnic areas.

North entrance to Walsingham Park

Resources

Resources for exploring the area

Central Florida Orlando Explorers Guide book cover

Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover

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Overview

Location: Largo
Length: 3.5 mile loop
Trailhead: 27.87926, -82.80643
Address: 12615 102 Ave N, Largo
Fees: Free
Restrooms: One at each of the five parking lots
Land manager: Pinellas County
Phone: 727-582-2100
Open 7 AM to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome.

Two of the restrooms are only open on weekends and holidays, please refer to county-provided map.

Directions

From Interstate 275, head west on Ulmerton Rd for 8.9 miles, then turn left onto 113th St. Continue on 113th St for one mile, then turn right onto Walsingham In a half mile, the park entrance will be on the left. The parking lot is immediately on the right.

Hike

Starting at the small parking lot adjacent to the boat ramp, head north on a paved trail through the park entrance, then turn left onto wide sidewalk alongside Walsingham Road.

Follow the sidewalk for a quarter mile to a bridge offering a view of water flowing into the north end of the lake.

View from the north end of the lake

In a tenth of a mile, turn left through a pair of stone pillars back into the park. The trail is initially straight.

It runs alongside dense vegetation that obscures the lake view before opening to a vista at the first bend.

First bend in the trail

As the trail rounds the corner, it offers a nice view of the lake between the shore and a forested island.

The water is completely covered with water lilies and bordered by violet pickerelweed and stark white arrowroot blooms.

Continue south to the next bend, passing cabbage palms and small cypresses.

Arrowroot

The trail makes two sharp turns, offering a wide view of the lake.

To the left is an inviting small shelter with a bench. Bright pink flowers sprout from sensitive-leaved mimosas carpeting the landscape.

Lakeside shelter

Crossing the end of a parking area for the dog park, the trail runs alongside a small field.

It then comes to a junction with a road and the beginning of a loop.

Turn right and cross the road, following the paved pathway into a heavily forested corner of the park.

Palmettos lining the trail

Oaks rise from thick clusters of palmettos and tangles of grapevine.

Birds dart back and forth across the path, calling to each other from the thick brush.

Blue jays, cardinals and woodpeckers are the easiest ones to spot.

Red bellied woodpecker

A paved side trail leads to the southwest corner of the park. At this junction, stay to the left and follow the main trail as it loops around.

As the trail turns back northward, the lake can be seen again to the right.

The scrubby pine habitat within the loop is home Florida’s state reptile, the gopher tortoise.

Gopher tortoise

Remain on the paved trail as it winds back to a crossing with the park road.

At this junction, turn right onto the road and head across the bridge, to the east side of the lake.

Take caution of traffic, as this is a road leading to a popular section of the park.

Great egret flying over the lake

At the next intersection, turn right onto the main park road.

In another tenth of a mile, turn onto a paved path to the left. It’s across the street from a field with an American flag in the middle.

Follow this trail into the woods, and take an immediate left to head north, towards the beginning of the loop.

Flagpole in the field

Longleaf pines line the pine needle-strewn pavement as the trail meanders along and across a service road.

Shortly after crossing the road, the trail is bordered by a railing as it nears a small wetland area to the right.

Paved path between pines — Paved trail beneath the pines of Walsingham Park

Pines continue to be the predominant feature, with an understory of palmettos, beautyberry, and laurel oaks.

Right before the trail crosses another road, a shaded bench is available underneath an oak tree.

Shaded bench

After you cross the road, the landscape quickly changes, becoming more open.

Live oaks extend their gnarled branches in every direction as they reach towards the sky.

The trail sweeps around a live oak

The trail winds through the woods, crossing the main park road again.

It parallels a parking area before crossing a bridge as it nears the north end of the lake.

A bench overlooks open grassy banks and a wide view of the lake. A quarter mile past the bench, the trail ends at the parking lot where the loop began.