Name: Hike within Boyd Hill Nature Preserve (5 miles) & Lunch at Tiki Docks Skyway
Start: 2025-12-02T09:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-12-02T14:00:00-05:00
Location: Boyd Hill Nature Park

**Let's start the hiking season with an easy hike** within the very picturesque Boyd Hill Nature Preserve. Total distance will be around 5 miles r/t with plenty of opportunities for birding, sightseeing and other wildlife viewing.

**We will meet at 09:00 AM in front of the Main Entrance**. Please arrive a few minutes early and pay your **entrance fee of $ 3.00** inside the building. This way, we will be able to leave on time.

**The Hike:**

For the first time, we will try to **explore most of the trails** **within the Nature Preserve.**

We will start with the Main Trail, meander along the Swamp Woodlands Boardwalk as well as the Lake Maggiore Island before we continue hiking the Lakeside and Sailor Trails. After a break at the restrooms, we will take the Campground Loop, Fern Trail, Wildflower Loop and parts of the Center Loop before we hike along the Canal -, Uplands -, Pine Flatwoods - and Main Trail.

During our hike, we will be able to enjoy **breathtaking views** of Downtown St. Pete and visit several **metal sculptures** designed by Paul Eppling, such as two oversized armadillos, a silver heron as well as a fantasy creature sitting in a tree.

At the time of writing, the **Pioneer Settlement** in the northern section of the preserve remains closed. It would offer a glimpse into the late 19th century life in West-Central Florida. The settlement is surrounded by a fence but might reopen again for visitors. If still closed on the day of our hike, we could at least check it out from afar.

At the end of our hike we will visit the **Aviary**, home to a Bald Eagle, Vultures, the Northern Crested Caracara, several owls and hawks as well as the American Krestel. If we are lucky, we might learn more about these birds with the help of one or even several of the caretakers.

We will finally head back to our cars and **drive a short 2.5 miles** to the very popular [Tiki Docks Skyway](https://tikidocks.com/locations/st-pete/) for lunch.

Please remember that this will be a social event and no race. We will make several stops along our hike with plenty of photo opportunities. If you are in a hurry, this event is not the right one for you. Please don't schedule anything right after the event as the hike and/or lunch might take longer than expected.

As always, if you have any questions or need directions, you can contact us at (917)774-0941.

Chris Kummer

Petra Kummer

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Hike within Boyd Hill Nature Preserve (5 miles) & Lunch at Tiki Docks Skyway

Boyd Hill Nature Park

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Hike within Boyd Hill Nature Preserve (5 miles) & Lunch at Tiki Docks Skyway

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