Most folks who hear about the Green Swamp imagine a giant watery wilderness like the Okeefenokee or the Everglades.
Birthplace of the Withlacoochee, Hillsborough, Peace, and Ocklawaha Rivers, the Green Swamp is far more subtle.
Uplands are an important part of the Green SwampIt’s a complex mosaic of low-lying cypress swamps, oak hammocks, and pine flatwoods.
On the western edge of the Green Swamp, Withlacoochee River Park provides a gentle introduction to its ecosystems while offering trails and camping for all activity levels.
A reminder along the nature trailResources
Resources for exploring the area
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Overview
Location: Dade City
Length: Up to 6.5 miles on a network of footpaths
Trailhead: 28.344642, -82.119806
Address: 12449 Withlacoochee Blvd, Dade City
Fees: No entrance fee. Fees apply for camping.
Restroom: At several trailheads
Land manager: Pasco County Parks
Phone: 352-567-0264
Open daily dawn to dusk. Leashed pets permitted but not allowed in cabins.
The park has cabin rentals, a primitive family campground, a nicely shaded campground for trailers and RVs and tents, and one primitive backpacker campsite in the backcountry.
Directions
Heading south into Dade City on US 98/301, keep left at the fork for the truck route and immediately turn left onto River Road. Go 4.5 miles to Auton Rd at the Withlacoochee River Bridge. Turn right. The park entrance is immediately on the left.
Stop at the kiosk at the entrance for a trail map and an interpretive guide. The hikes start next to the canoe dock in the first parking area on the left, but can also be accessed from the last parking area on the left.
Hike
The park has offers two different footpaths for two different audiences, plus a paved bike path loop.
You can connect these together or overlap them to vary the length and course of your hike.
All three start at the canoe launch parking area, with additional access points at the south parking area and from the campground.
Footpath and bike path parallel in the woodsNature Trail
This 2.5-mile yellow-blazed interpretive trail is perfect for a hike with kids.
It weaves along and across the paved bike trail to emerge at the far parking lot and restrooms.
Looking down from the towerPast the water fountain is the 40-foot observation tower. From the base of the tower, parts of the Nature Trail take off in several directions.
They all connect back into each other. Each showcases a little slice of Green Swamp habitat.
Trail junctionWalk straight ahead to visit the wetlands, where you might see alligators from the boardwalk.
To the left, the trail enters sandhills and reaches a primitive campground with its own vault toilet.
Camping areaIt’s just far enough from the car for the family to feel like they’re roughing it, close enough you can dash back for supplies if you need them.
From the campground, the Nature Trail loops to the wetland. Follow the trail downhill into an oak hammock.
It ambles around the campground past playgrounds and picnic areas, back to the parking lot near the canoe launch.
Boardwalk across the wetlandWithlacoochee River Trail
The 5.4 mile Withlacoochee River Trail starts at the canoe dock. It’s here you’ll immediately find a trail register and memorial referring to this as the Florida Trail.
Back in the 1970s, when volunteers in the Suncoast region first started working on a route for the Florida Trail, this was one of their routes.
Canoe DockEventually the Florida Trail was established on the east side of the Withlacoochee River. This orange-blazed route now pays homage to those early trail builders.
The first stretch of the trail offers the best views of the river, including an ancient cypress stump with new life sprouting from it.
Withlacoochee River floodplainMost of the cypresses here were logged out fifty to a hundred years ago, and a second-growth forest has emerged.
The trail is shaded by live oaks festooned with resurrection fern and orchids. In wet weather, the forest is a riot of green.
Among the live oaksEmerging from the forest, walk along the edge of a prairie. Soon before the trail takes a sharp left into a bower of live oaks.
A right turn here will take you to the south parking lot and the Nature Trail in the developed portion of the park.
Prairie’s edgeContinue along the prairie’s edge, keeping alert for the orange blazes as you leave the park boundary.
Enter Green Swamp WMA at a break in the fence. The loop along the Withlacoochee River Trail begins at 1.6 miles.
Turn right to walk through a pine forest at the prairie’s edge; look for herons and egrets.
At 1.8 miles are blue blazes leading to a primitive campsite for backpackers. The former campsite at the far end of the trail has been removed.
Campground junction signAt around 3 miles, the trail turns to parallel the Withlacoochee River floodplain upstream, alongside the vast cypress swamp.
At 3.9 miles, it might be possible to look across the dark water to see a cabin at Bigfoot Wilderness Camp on the far shore.
Most of the hike near the river is behind a scrim of floodplain forestThe loop ends at the 4-mile mark. Continue back along the trail to either the south parking lot or the canoe landing.
Or take the trail leading straight north from the loop sign to meet the Nature Trail at the primitive campground, and join it there.
The blue and yellow trails join together approaching the parking areaTrail Map
Explore More!
Slideshow
See our photos of Withlacoochee River Park. The Creek Village shown here and mentioned in our older books has been disassembled and removed. The campground is now in its place.
Nearby Adventures
More worth exploring nearby
Colt Creek Yellow Trail At the south end of Colt Creek State Park, the Yellow Trail circumnavigates mesic flatwoods and cypress domes surrounding a primitive group campground. 
Colt Creek Flatwoods Trail Miles of beautifully managed pine forests and cypress domes are on display alongside large areas of habitat restoration on the Colt Creek State Park Flatwoods Trail. 
Florida Trail, Green Swamp West Traversing scenic oak hammock, sandhills, and pine flatwood habitats, the southernmost six miles of the Florida Trail in Green Swamp West offers spectacular day hike and backpacking experiences. 
Florida Trail, Green Swamp West to Richloam Weaving across rolling sandhills and along the tannic waters of the Withlacoochee River, the River Road to Richloam Loop section is an exceptionally scenic destination along the western corridor of the Florida Trail. 
- Hal Scott Yellow Trail - November 3, 2026
- Hal Scott Preserve - October 28, 2026
- Tradewinds Park - October 27, 2026