Hillsborough River State Park - NOV 2011

         

          For Marley's and my first camping trip we went to Hillsborough River State Park located just outside of Tampa. We stayed for 2 days and 2 nights enjoying everything the park has to offer. There are several miles of hiking and biking trails along with a great canoe trail. The biking trail doubles as a hiking trail so don't expect too much.

          The hiking trails located inside the park are nice, short trails offering a variety of different sites. We started with the Rapids Trail located at Parking 2 close to the park's entrance. This trail is only 1.2 miles but takes you directly to the rapids of Hillsborough River. This is the only spot in Florida where you will find class 2 rapids which are located about half way down this trail. You will hear the rapids before you see them ..... very neat! Continuing past the rapids, you will come to a tree on your right which is called "The Laughing Tree". (It looks exactly like it's name.) On past that, you will encounter an old suspension bridge that will take you over Hillsborough River. The suspension bridge was built in the late 1930s but is still a cool site. Once over the bridge the Baynard Trail starts. This trail is another 1.1 miles and will finish by taking you over a stationary bridge ..... not as neat as the first! From here you can either continue onto the Florida Trail or back out to the main drive. The Florida Trail is 3.2 miles and takes you to the primitive campground then along the river. The last trail is the Wetlands Trail which is were you can either hike or bike. We only hiked the first mile on this trail ..... nothing too exciting but still pretty.

Class 2 rapids

                   Canoe rentals are available at the gift shop for either a few hours or all day. You can paddle north to the rapids or south towards Tampa. There are lots of gators along the river either floating along or sunning themselves on the bank. They are definitely neat to see!!

          We camped in the campground located on the west side of the park. Sorry, I need a restroom and shower so no primitive camping for me! The campsites were nice and clean along with the restrooms. There is not a lot of privacy with a majority of these sites. They are mainly all out in the open with down logs dividing them. Some of the more private sites are: 21, 27, 49, 50, 56, 60, and 61. Unless you camp to socialize then choose any but I like a little privacy. All sites have water, electricity, picnic table, and a fire ring.

          This is definitely a nice park to either come for the day or for a couple. There is lots to see and do. We went in November and even then the mosquitoes were bad so remember the bug spray!!! The rangers leave firewood along the main drive so you don't have to worry about hunting any down. There is a large swimming pool located here but it was a little on the chilly side so I didn't check it out. The gift shop, which is also a restaurant, has lots of little things that you might have forgotten.

The Laughing Tree

          I hope this information helps you with the Hillsborough River State Park. If you have any questions or comments feel free to either message or e-mail me.

After a long day

NEXT: Wekiwa Springs State Park