The moneys been put in the box at the booth, it's five bucks and The Honor System is used - thena…read moreseries of slow winding snake turns up the next half mile past the canoe launch and into the parking lot & picnic area where there's also a little playground set up for screaming kids. Last week we explored to the East, logic dictates we head West because there's more land, more trails and a brisk twenty minutes in, past the equestrian area and I had wished I brought my compass . So I looked to the sun, it was my nearing 9:45AM so I made a quick little sundial and determined my bearings, keeping the rays at my right shoulder, a tall pine in the distance for extra measure. So quickly the terrain can change from soft and slow white sand to fast packed non-silty soil to brown and boggy muddy to green and lush all within a stones throw in any direction. Know this friends - you'll be given no help from signage - only arrows , there are numbers from 15 to 3 - yet, not telling ya anything at all - no maps at the gate, nobody in the booth at the gate - nobody official looking around, so be aware of that if you want to see beyond the next turn. Getting turned around is easier than going straight towards the trails end. I assumed that the 15 I saw, then the 7 I saw then the 3&4 means I'd be on a cylindrical circumnavigation - looping back to the pavement that takes you in and separated the two very different sides of the park. We came up on Dude Lake and here in this primitive shallow shored lake - along with birds, turtles are sounds unique to my ears, movements in the brush that have the dogs diving into and thrashing within - only to pop out from the other side dumbfounded and disappointed. There are things that are unseen underneath - human penetration is virtually impossible without damaging the plants, vines and thick green entanglements. I believe these are small creatures, whatever they are but emit the most beautiful sounds, whatever they are.

Nice area to go camping. The rangers explained where to go and bathroom has easy access to find.read more

We didn't realize this beautiful area was right here all along. We drive through the gate which…read moretook us to another area for parking and a walk through gate. There are several different habitats and a nice trail to hike along. There is some noise from nearby roads. The old oak trees with Spanish moss draped limbs next to the clear water flowing creek was our favorite part!

Great place for wildlife photography. Otters, Lots of birds, eagles, owls and a lot more. Birders…read moreand hikers are friendly.

Okay... GREAT... maybe is a bit much to say for such a short visit we had, BUT overall it was such…read morea good visit and the staff member who attended to us was completely unforgettable - Jade was friendly, courteous, casual, and super informative. She tried as hard as she could to make sure we spotted Manatees out in the bay... and while we personally never got to see them this was in no way a reflection of he attempts to point us in the right direction twice! She keyed us in on the best times to come in for kayaking, wildlife viewing, swimming, etc. I did not really find the swimming all that enjoyable but that is mainly because of the "Wetlands" feel and all the grass growth in and around the swimming area; but for the pelicans, crabs, pipers, and other creatures we did see (Manatees I WILL see you next time!!!) it is apparent why this growth is so important. Ao, thank you E.G. Simmons Conservation Park, and thank you Jade for being so friendly and kind.

Went here recently, nice little mini beach. Sat for awhile, watched the boats, overhead planes, and…read morepeople. Got my groove on. $2 entrance fee not bad. Plenty of parking. They also have some trails to walk nearby , and a park. Opens up to the bay eith a great view from the beach and lets you get your "chill" on! Very relaxing

Beautiful preserve. Great for natures walks and photos! Follow me on TikTok: MariaSocialsCoread more

Nice wide trails that two people can walk side by side. Dog friendly so bring your canine, but…read moredon't forget a leash. Not much shade and very sandy so make sure to bring some water. My favorite part is the pine tree area near the pond. The pine tree needles lay on the ground and when the wind blows the sound is melodic blowing through the pine trees. There is one picnic table to sit on for a picnic, but try and ignore the graffiti. There is an area that's preserved and protected for Burrowing owls. I wish I could have seen one or two, but no luck this time. There is traffic noise and watch for what looks like a homeless individual who had ridden a bike in.

I sweared i wrote an update review about my last visit. O_o im going crazy. Lol just wanted to add…read morea heads up. The last hurricane that beat our nuts off changed the landscape of the park a bit. Theres alot of trees and branches blocking the rivers but no problem. I did noticed that the asphalt is cracked and chunks are missing in some areas. I don't recommend a skateboard or roller blades without gear. It will be fine in some sections and then you'll see the damage show up in some sections. Totally safe for runners and bicycles. I went with my temporary wheel chair n i had a couple sections that i chose to walk it by. If you have like a pro chair with air wheels? You'll be ok. The wooded areas a bit slippery, although theres shade everywhere? This is the wrong season to ho there at the moment. It is freaking hot and humid even in the shade. Please bring a cooler with you. Local shops sell backpack coolers or even a small sling one is enough. There are fountains and bathroom every few miles though so no fear if you are fit or don't have disabilities. Bring a freaking camera theres tons of fish in the river that can be seen from the crystal clear water and you'll even see tortoises just walking around the property. Its totally ok to look at them. The only time i have intervened is when they walk into the parking lot or road and i just pray they don't pee on me. It is illegal to even do that but i rather risk a ticket over a dead turtle. Please me careful driving to either side of the parking lot cuz they even cross the main road and i have stop traffic to move em. I like dashing in this area cuz i can either stop here for nap on cooler days or if im lucky? Stop at ricks meat down the road. Its a local butcher, they also make these massive sandwiches at great price and they tend to have a bbq truck outside too. The parking? Is hella small n its always packed. Parking is self serve, they upgraded from the "hope" system to a booth. As in "i hope people are paying for parking" now its 100% you have to pay n put the ticket on the dashboard or else the tortoises will take your car away. Lol The lid park looked well kept, the first come first serve shelters look good too. They big enough to throw a party. They have their own water faucets and grill. The water access has like a tub, i am presuming its so your dog drinks water from it. I recommend you use a bowl though. Never know who uses those for other things. I also noticed theres more sitting areas. Theres a couple hidden spots that look safe to look closer i would be a bit cautious cuz i was stepping over a dirt bridge n then when i looked at it at another angle i was shocked that it was just roots. O_o like theres a ton of areas that got torn up by the last hurricane that hit us. Gators? Never seen them but its Florida i don't recommend going in the water unless using boat ramp. Boat ramp, when i was there, the water level was way too low and i didn't feel safe to go down the steep ramp. I was too exhausted for my walk i didn't trust i had the energy to climb out. Usually u can see the water from the top all i saw was grass. Sound, near the over pass is loud from cars but cool area for kickass pictures. The rest of the park is windy with nice river sound. Especially in the wooden loop. Its the closest it gets to the river. It is very beautiful how you can see bass and trout just swimming by. Space is tight it has a parking area for chairs and bikes. Plenty of places to sit and two shelters to nap. If you are an audiophile / AMSR sensitive like me? This is the area to just sit n record n let the beautiful sounds take you away. I think i recorded like a solid hour of just stereo ambience. I think i covered everything. Thanks for reading and please stay hydrated!

Great park with paved pathways & a raised boardwalk. Map at location and different map online made…read morenavigating difficult as far as where the raised boardwalk side was. Would've been nice for a sign at entrance to paths. Scens and views were great. Need sign explaining the orange water. No sounds of birds in our 90 minutes there. No gators, no turtles. Guy on cart driving around but not saying hello or checking in. Never found bathrooms. Parking is a reasonable $2. Some beautiful play equipment and an exercise court of assistive equipment for working out. Boardwalk beginning to sound rickety! Hope they check it regularly. Would be nice if a few plants/trees were labeled/classified. Eg. are the purple berries edible?? Love this park.

This preserve was a nice surprise. I never knew that a fresh spring lake was in this area and…read moreavailable for a dip. The water looked crystal clear and I'm sure it's the most refreshing during these hot summer months. Gorgeous beach area to kick back and enjoy the fresh air and water. There were a few trails available along a creek and the kids really enjoyed the scenic walks, views and definitely was interested in visiting again to take a dip in the spring. $2 for entry and they take credit cards if someone is available to take payment. If you plan in advance you can purchase tickets on their online website. Camping, fishing, canoeing, kayaking , hiking , swimming , playground and sight seeing. This is place is a hidden gem

This place is closed for good. We just drove there since we move To Tampa and wanted to explore…read moremore but sadly the place looks abandoned and it's closed.

The drive here is okay. Kind of in the middle of nowhere but I enjoy it for the most part. There's…read morea typical beach surf-n-turf style restaurant on the beach as well, not bad food; typical hamburgers and fish tacos and fries etc. The beach itself is well maintained unless you're there on a Sunday then I've found some trash and cig butts. Overall I give 7/10 for cleanliness. Heading tot he left of the beach you are able to walk down quite a bit until you hit some rocks. You can find little nooks in the mangroves to set up a cooler and blanket or chair for the day. Do expect for the area to be busy but not packed on weekends. Great beach to visit if you're on the other side of the bay (riverview, Brandon area)

Found myself out this way recently and went for a walk. Nice little hike through the preserve…read more Didn't have a problem with the parking. Not a bad stop. Others complained about the parking and I'm not sure why if you scan the code and do what you're supposed to it works so if there was a problem in the past it's been fixed.

Before the county parks shut down, my family and I visited the Ruskin Park & Recreation Center as…read morepart of the Hillsborough County Hiking Spree. The Ruskin Park & Recreation Center is deceptively large. When we first arrived, I thought it was smallish in the same vein as some of the other Hillsborough County Recreation Centers (thinking of you Northdale). But the Ruskin Park stretches way beyond the recreation center. At the very back of the park is an outdoor walking trail which travels along a swamp on one side and nestles up against some train tracks on another. We saw a lot of birds and turtles during our hike. The park also includes a baseball field and soccer field, a pavilion area near the playground, a covered seating area near the walking trail and sports fields and a basketball court and gym inside the recreation center. There were a few "amenities" at the Ruskin Park & Recreation Center which really set it apart from other parks in the county. One thing that makes this park unique is the large, outdoor, covered basketball courts. There were at least three (maybe four) outdoor courts that are under a big cover. This means that all summer long kids, adults, teenagers, seniors can come here and play outdoor basketball without the sun beating down on them. I know what you are saying..."grumble, grumble people these days. When I used to play ball I played on the hot cement in the middle of summer. It made me who I am today." Still, this is a great resource to have in Florida. The other unique thing about this park is the street hockey rink. The Lightning decked out rink is set up with boards, official goals and glass. Just like an actual outdoor hockey rink. The only downfall is it appears to be by appointment only or has to be reserved. It was all locked up when we were there. The Ruskin Park & Recreation Center has something for everyone. It is another in a long list of great Hillsborough County Parks.

Cool place to take your kids. We went after eating at a local restaurant. Clean bathrooms and…read morefriendly staff. Maria actually offered us some info on youth basketball. It was filled with people. Young and older playing basketball. Kids playing in the playground.

This Park was nice! I went for the hiking trails, and it was…read moreeasy to find because the staff was very helpful and the park has a lot of signs. They have a place to rent Ikes, and the biking trials look amazing.

Good spot for the kiddos to play. I didn't do much besides talk to my friend while her children…read moreplayed. Not sure what else there is to do there. Well there is camping ,trails and things like that.