Brooker Creek Preserve: A Quiet, Natural Oasis in Tarpon Springs, Florida
Disclaimer: We are not paid to promote any restaurant, hotel, activity, product, or attraction. All opinions are subjective and based on our personal experience. Your experience may be different.
This week, Mike and I decided to check out beautiful Brooker Creek Preserve in Tarpon Springs, Florida. We saw the sign while driving (on several occasions) and finally decided to take a detour for a relaxing nature walk. After visiting several other beautiful natural parks in Pinellas County (our favorite is John Chestnut located just blocks from our apartment), we decided that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to check out another major park in the area.
We were pleasantly surprised with the beautifully maintained hiking trails here. With 8700 acres of forested land, this large preserve claims the title of largest area for natural recreation in Pinellas County. This beautiful oasis, amidst the ever growing urban/suburban congestion is the perfect place to escape for a day of peaceful recreation and reflection. If you have ever visited this country, you know that the traffic is insane, there are a lot of strip malls, and in general, it is not a very relaxed place. We love all the amenities in Palm Harbor, but sometimes we need a little nature escape.
Update: Since writing this post, we have lived in the Bay for a total of about 3 years. We have enjoyed so many other fabulous parks in the metro. We continued to hike this trail on a fairly regular basis and saw a lot of wildlife. I also recommend checking out A.L. Anderson (also in Tarpon). I’ve never seen more gators than at this park. If you walk the boardwalk trail, you can see a ton of baby gators swimming (I’ve seen dozens here).
Wildlife Watching
On any trail here, you will be surrounded by natural pine forests, marshes, and swamps. Wildlife viewing opportunities are ample. We saw both turtles and armadillos. I tried to capture a pictures of an armadillo on the trail, however, it was a bit too fast for my camera! You can see it hiding behind the trees in the photo below.
Ed Center trail loop (great for beginners)
The 0.7 mile long Ed Center Trail Loop is a great option for those limited on time. It will only take a half hour at most to complete. On this short, yet scenic trail, you will pass scenic bottomland swamps. This is also a great choice during the hot summer season because you won’t be out too long.
Both hiking and equestrian trails are available. In addition to the Ed Center Loop, we completed a moderate 1.5 mile loop trail. There are about 5 miles total, ranging from easy to difficult. Although the Bay area is extremely hot and humid most of the year, the shaded trails made the hike through the heat a bit more tolerable. I recommend heading out in the morning or late evening when temperatures are a bit milder. Check out a few photos we took on the trail.
More activities
Bird watching is another popular activity within the preserve, as this park (and many others in the state) is part of the Great Florida Birding Trail, a collection of more than 500 locations where birds are protected in their natural habitat. We saw a number of interesting birds here, although I am not an expert birder, so I will refer you to the Birding trail site for a list of species you may see during your visit.
The Environmental Education Center provides indoor exhibits to learn more about the preserve’s plant and animal life. Guided hikes offered on Saturday mornings. To view a listing of the various hikes available, visit the preserve website.
Location/Parking
- Address: 3940 Keystone Road.
- Hours: Trails are open from 7am until an hour before sunset (unless otherwise noted).
- Fees: There are no entrance or parking fees.
- Accessibility: Restrooms, parking spaces, the Education center
- The Education center is open from 9:00am-4:00pm (Thursday-Saturday).
- No dogs or horses allowed, unfortunately.
- No bikes allowed.
What to do nearby
Update: Since living in the Bay for numerous years, Tarpon has become one of my favorite daytrips. I recommend more than one trip here to check out the many wonderful attractions. Here you can shop for homemade sponges which are really durable and do not grow mold. This city is the “Sponge Capital of the World.” There are also a ton of authentic Greek restaurants in the area. Check out my Tarpon visitor guide for full details.
