Boardwalks / TrailsAt over 3,190 acres, Weedon Island Preserve offers visitors a variety of recreational opportunities. Hiking is a favorite pastimes for people visiting the preserve. Before hiking, be sure to familiarize yourself with our suggested trail companions and trail rules. Visit the Education Center and check out a backpack filled with a variety of activities and field guides. These backpack kits are a great way to learn more about the preserve.
Please note that all trails are available for day use only. Overnight parking is not allowed. For your safety, the license plate number of vehicles remaining in the parking lot will be shared with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. Violators may be ticketed.
Boy Scout Loop:Developed with the assistance of local Boy Scout Troops, this one-mile loop trail takes hikers through pine flatwoods and maritime and xeric hammocks. An additional 1.7 miles of trails are also accessible from the main loop. Picnic areas interspersed along the trail provide hikers a chance to rest and enjoy their surroundings under the shade of towering oaks. These trails remain in their natural state to minimize the impact of our presence in the area. While footbridges allow hikers access over routinely wet areas, other areas of the trails may be seasonally wet.
Boardwalks & Observation Tower:Almost two miles of handicap-accessible boardwalks and pavement are available for visitors to Weedon Island Preserve. Boardwalks extend through tidal flats and mangrove forests, providing viewing opportunities over saltwater ponds, which are often teeming with mullet and wading birds. The paved portion connecting the two boardwalk loops takes visitors through a pine flatwoods community as it passes by the Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center. Along the west boardwalk loop stands a 45-foot observation tower. On a clear day, this tower provides visitors with an excellent view of the preserve as well as Tampa Bay and the cities of St. Petersburg and Tampa.
Suggested Trail Companions:When hiking, please consider taking the following:
Trail Rules:When hiking, please remember:
Provisions:County-owned environmental lands in the following preserves and management areas are hereby designated as environmental lands subject to the provisions of Section 2.07. Activities on the water are governed by the Waterways Ordinance Chapter 130.
|