Boasting classic American “parkitecture” built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, Hillsborough River State Park opened in 1938.
It’s one of the oldest Florida State Parks and certainly beloved of families in Tampa for its big swimming pool, suspension bridge, and overlook on the famed Hillsborough rapids.
While many Florida rivers once had rapids, too many were dyanmited for the sake of commerce more than a century ago.
The foam and froth of the Class II rapids of the Hillsborough are a delight to listen to and behold as the waters tumble between cypress trees in a narrow chasm.
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Overview
Location: Thonotosassa
Length: 13.4 miles across six trails
Trailhead: 28.137639, -82.231306
Address: 15302 US 301 North, Thonotosassa
Fees: $4-6 per vehicle
Restrooms: At various day use locations
Land manager: Florida State Parks
Phone: 813-688-9500
Open 8 AM until sunset. Leashed pets welcome. Reserve camping in advance.
Directions
Take Interstate 75 to Tampa exit 265 (Fowler Avenue). Head east to its junction with US 301. Turn north and drive 10.5 miles to the park entrance. Follow the one-way loop to your chosen parking area. Parking Area #2 provides easy access to a view of the rapids.
About the Park
There is a little something for everyone inside Hillsborough River State Park. Perched along the river bluffs, it has picnic areas beneath ancient live oaks.
Trails wind along both sides of the Hillsborough River through lush, jungle-like forests, connected by footbridges.
Their popular campground has 112 sites, with some specifically set aside for tent and hammock campers.
Backpackers have a destination primitive campsite to strike out for on a short but wild loop along the park’s northern boundary.
On the opposite side of US 301 from the main gate, history buffs can tour Fort Foster with a guide.
This replica of a frontier fortress that formerly stood along the Fort King Trail is home to an annual Rendezvous and re-enactment.
The interpretive center for the fort and its role during the Seminole Wars can be found at Parking Area #1 along the park road.
As conservation efforts extended over the decades beyond the bounds of Hillsborough River State Park, it has become an integral part of a larger greenbelt.
Protecting the natural floodplain of the river basin immediately north of the Bypass Canal, the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve encompasses 16,000 acres.
North, south, east, and west of this park are an array of public lands with an outstanding network of singletrack trails interconnecting them all.
Hike
Of the many trails within Hillsborough River State Park, the must-do is the oldest trail constructed by Civilian Conservation Corps workers, the River Rapids Nature Trail.
It’s a gentle walk suitable for families, leading to the rapids overlook from Parking Area #2 and then downriver along a series of boardwalks to the main picnic area.
Ending at the suspension bridge, it provides access to two trails on the north side of the river–the Baynard Trail and the Seminole Woods Trail.
Baynard is a 1.1 mile loop named for the park’s first superintendent. It’s a superb sampler of the oak-and-palm hammock above the river bluffs.
It can be chained together with the adjoining Seminole Woods Trail, a much gnarlier 3.2 mile loop in and out of river floodplain channels.
With a primitive campsite hidden deep in the woods, it’s challenging in spots but well worth it for the river views and ancient trees.
The south end of the park is home to the Wetlands Trail and the Fort King Trail, which interconnect in the Model Dairy Wetlands.
Both can also be used to explore adjacent Dead River Conservation Park on a 5.5 mile or 6.2 mile loop, depending on the trailhead you start from.
Bike
The park contains the northern terminus of the Fort King Trail, which traces a portion of the military road that once linked Fort Brooke in Tampa with Fort King near Silver Springs.
The Fort King Trail extends south from the park roughly paralleling US 301 through Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve.
Inside the park, the Wetlands Trail is open to cyclists, providing graded but unpaved access to the northern extent of the Fort King Trail and to Dead River Park.
All visitors are welcome to ride the low-speed park road, which is one-way counterclockwise around the park once you enter the loop.
Trail Map
Explore More!
Slideshow
See our photos from this park