Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve
The Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve (LHWP) protects 13 miles of the Hillsborough River. Visitors can paddle through cypress swamps surrounded by wading birds, turtles, alligators and lilies, hike more than 60 miles of forested trails, fish from riverside boardwalks, or enjoy a picnic. The landscape, mainly riverine forests and pine flatwoods, is managed for biodiversity, featuring a Wood Stork rookery, sawgrass marsh, sphagnum bog, and two sinkholes. While the preserve is a key recreation spot for Tampa Bay, its primary role is water storage and supply. Recommend locations include John B. Sargeant, Flatwoods, Dead River, Morris Bridge, and Trout Creek parks, with drives between them ranging from 10 minutes to an hour.
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Sites At This Location
Trout Creek Park
Trout Creek Park provides visitors an opportunity to check the boardwalk and hammock for migrants, and to scan the river for waterbirds. If you have limited time, focus your attention on the boardwalk and loop trail immediately north and south of the parking area. As you stroll along the river amongst the live oaks and sabal palms, look for Wood Duck, Anhinga, Great Egret, Little Blue Heron, Osprey and Limpkin. Watch for Gray Catbird, Ovenbird and Orange-crowned Warbler during fall and winter months. Visitors with more time on their hands have additional options for exploring the park and surrounding area. Put in/take out a canoe at the launch near the parking area to access the Hillsborough River State Canoe Trail, which links five additional GFBWT sites to the northeast and Lettuce Lake Park to the west. Or follow the entrance road west about 850 feet from the parking area, which leads to the Bayshore Trail, a segment of the 35-mile Wilderness Park Off-Road Trail System. From the entrance road, turn right onto the trail and proceed northwest up the hill to the large water control structure over the river; this is a great vantage point from which to see flocks of feeding Wood Stork and White Ibis. Wild Turkeys are sometimes spotted along the park’s trails as well.
Site Information
Admission Fee Required for Entry
Managing Agency
Southwest Florida Water Management District
Operational Hours: Open all year, sunrise to sunset.
Size: 563 acres
Morris Bridge Park
Another component of the LHWP, this site on the Hillsborough River has excellent songbird viewing. It’s also another access point for the Hillsborough River State Canoe Trail and the multi-use Wilderness Park Off-Road Trail System. On the north side of the park, bird the boardwalk and nature trail which runs through lush riparian forest, and then walk the trail on the south side of the park to an abandoned bridge. Check for Louisiana Waterthrush, Hooded Warbler, Worm-eating Warbler and American Redstart during spring and fall migration; Eastern Wood-Pewee and Acadian Flycatcher turn up in fall and Hermit Thrush is present in winter. Yellow-throated Vireo and Northern Parula sing from the treetops in summer; Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Tufted Titmouse and Carolina Wren are common all year. The river is home to Limpkins, and raptors like Swallow-tailed Kite (summer) and Short-tailed Hawk. The park is subject to closure when water levels are high; call ahead for information.
Site Information
Admission Fee Required for Entry
Managing Agency
Southwest Florida Water Management District
Operational Hours: Open all year, sunrise to sunset.
Size: 117 acres
John B. Sargeant Park
A wheelchair-friendly boardwalk and a multi-use trail allow birders to explore this productive LHWP tract once known as Flint Creek Park. Visitors will encounter a picturesque swamp and adjacent uplands which can be good for songbirds like Northern Parula, Prothonotary Warbler and Yellow-throated Vireo which breed here in summer. Take the boardwalk to the Hillsborough River/Flint Creek confluence and listen for Barred Owl, Red-shouldered Hawk and Belted Kingfisher, among others. Hikers, bikers and equestrians can also use the historic 7 mile Old Fort King Trail, which is paved for the first 2 miles (mind vehicular traffic at all road crossings) and connects with Hillsborough River State Park. This site is also an access point for paddling Flint Creek, the Upper Hillsborough River and the Hillsborough River Canoe Trail. Be on the lookout for Anhinga, Little Blue Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, and Limpkin. From the launch site by the parking area, expect a 2-hour paddle downriver to Morris Bridge Park; Trout Creek Park is a 4 hour paddle downstream. There are numerous tree obstacles to negotiate upstream in the Seventeen Runs area, a primitive section of the water trail recommended for experienced paddlers only.
Site Information
Admission Fee Required for Entry
Managing Agency
Southwest Florida Water Management District
Operational Hours: Open all year, sunrise to sunset.
Size: 14 acres
Flatwoods Park
Flatwoods Park is the largest and most diverse LHWP tract on the GFBWT, and it’s also the most visited. One of the park’s prominent features is a paved, multi-use, 7-mile loop trail (with four rest shelters, water stations and paved connecting trails) that is popular with cyclists, skaters and runners. This loop trail, and miles of unpaved trails, wind through flatwoods, past cypress domes and seasonal wetlands good for Wood Stork, Sandhill Crane and Wood Duck. The pines harbor Wild Turkey, Northern Bobwhite, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Eastern Towhee and Bachman’s Sparrow. Watch for American Kestrel, Chipping Sparrow, Eastern Phoebe and Blue-headed Vireo in winter. Up to 25 species of wood-warbler have been spotted during fall migration, including Golden-winged, Chestnut-sided and Blackburnian. A bike makes it much easier to cover this property, but remember to mind the other cyclists and trail users. Visitors can take the Wilderness Park Off-Road Trail System to nearby Trout Creek Park or Morris Bridge Park if desired. However, you can easily spend countless hours exploring the numerous trails in this park’s interior.
Site Information
Admission Fee Required for Entry
Managing Agency
Southwest Florida Water Management District
Operational Hours: Open all year, sunrise to sunset.
Size: 4,670 acres
Dead River Park
This site is located where the Dead and Hillsborough Rivers converge. From Monday to Thursday, park along on the entrance road where the pavement ends and hike/bike the final 1.8 miles into the site. From Friday to Sunday, visitors are allowed to drive all the way in. The entrance road, the 2-mile multi-use trail and the river views all provide lovely birding, especially during fall migration. Wood-warblers like Golden-winged, Blackpoll and Magnolia have been spotted as well as Indigo Bunting, Gray-cheeked Thrush and Acadian Flycatcher. Resident species include White-eyed Vireo, Pileated Woodpecker and Carolina Chickadee. Overnight youth campers may use the 0.25-mile nature trail south of the campground (reservations required). The park is another access point for the Hillsborough River State Canoe Trail; Hillsborough River State Park is an easy upstream paddle; go 3 miles northeast to the park and float back down, enjoying the wildlife as you drift along. Downstream is the difficult Seventeen Runs section of the water trail, for experienced paddlers only.
Site Information
This Site is Free to Enter
Managing Agency
Southwest Florida Water Management District
Operational Hours: Open all year, 8 AM to 5:30 PM.
Size: 32 acres
