Hillsborough River State Park

There is a main driving loop - one way one lane. Everything is on that. Skipping the RV stuff - the first entrance is the river rapids trail. Second is the suspension bridge trail after you walk through a big amphitheater of BBQ shelters under the tall tree canopy. Next you pass the pool. Last you pass the Wetlands Restoration Trail.

Entering the rapids trail it's a maybe 5-10 minute walk to them - you can hear them before seeing them. It's not like you're in colorado but it's fairly impressive and the river at this spot is scenic. It's pretty covered by the tree canopy. You cal walk along the trail to the left along the river and there are boardwalks that lead you to the suspension bridge area. Maybe that's a 15 minute walk. If you go over the bridge on the right is the Baynard trail. On the left is the Seminole Trail. Bring a map because you can mix it up. They just mark them as "primitive camp".  You can mix up which is the left side of the Seminole trail loop, the right side, and the Baynard trail all together. The Baynard loop is a little over a mile. It goes along the river for a bit. The Seminole Trail was always just called the Florida Trail. They seem to have rebranded it and erased mention of the Florida Trail so maybe that's a thing of the past. The Seminole Trail is about 3.5 miles. The left side follows the river and turns into the forest. The 2nd half (or the right side of the trail) is just dense hardwood forest. It feels like a nice forest but I can't say we see much in terms of large wildlife or birds.... but that's the nature of that kind of forest. The primitive camp site is 3/4 of the way along the right side. It used to be in good shape but in in recent years they've put up rules, put up an ad for how the Brandon Chamber of Commerce "improved" it... and now it's an overgrown bunch of much. You can still camp there but it's not a good sign. I'm guessing one too many successions of republican governors deciding on the State Park system funding - that and the hurricane Irma bridge damage basically meaning scratch one bridge here plus another on the Fort King Trail. Sometimes deer will hang out at this camp site - or at least they used to.

The Wetlands Restoration Trail off the main road at Hillsborough River State Park, Model Dairy Wetlands, Old Fort King Trail on Dairy Rd, and the back entrance to the state park on Dead River Road - they are all more or less the same thing. See the Fort King page for the write up and the other for more photos.