Blackwater Creek Nature Preserve

Let's show Blackwater Creek Nature Preserve a little love and hike alongside peeps from Tampa Hiking Meetup Group. We'll be joining Patricia from Suncoat Outdoors and she'll be leading us that day,

Once we start getting regular rain, there will more than likely be some freshwater marshes and wet prairies so please be prepared for anything.

We will hike for about 6.5 miles, time permitting. This 2,200 acre preserve includes some of the finest remaining examples of long leaf pine dominated mesic pine flatwoods and blackwater streams, interspersed with hardwood hammocks, and cypress domes. More than half of the preserve is wide open, which provides spectacular views of gentle fields trimmed by forest and endless sky. A side trail leads to a bubbling creek that is perfectly shaded. We might see wildlife that includes butterflies, red shouldered hawks, and Terrance the Tortoise. Blackwater Creek Preserve is part of a major wildlife and water corridor tied to the Hillsborough River and Green Swamp—important for regional drinking water. Trails often follow old logging tram roads from early timber operations (cypress & pine).

To learn more about the park, visit: https://hcfl.gov/locations/blackwater-creek-preserve There is no day use fee.

There are no bathrooms. There is a Circle K Gas station at 1449 Paul S Buchman Hwy, Zephyrhills, FL 33540.

On the day of the hike, please meet me in the parking lot at 5 pm. We will start hiking at 5:10. You will need at least 2 liters of water, snacks, bug spray, sunscreen, a hat, hikers, and anything else you deem necessary for your comfort. A solar umbrella brings the heat down by at least 10 degrees. There are only a few benches so you may want to bring a ground cloth to sit on during the snack break. We must be out of the park by 8 pm (closing time).
hcfl.gov