I wanted to express my gratitude to Ian who is new to the ground keeping job. He has been nothing…read morebut extraordinary in his prompt attention to the much needed trail maintenance. Ian not only is very efficient, but he is extremely helpful and friendly. Whoever hired him.. thank you! This man is a gem! I run in the park everyday.

If you want to connect with nature and feel like bella in the woods then come here. A gorgeous…read moresilent wood area that has so many winding beautiful roads allowing you to take different routes. I would come back here a million times if I lived close. Such a wood like area away from the palm trees of florida.

This 6533 acre nature preserve is open for visitors from sunrise to sunset. It is a part of Starkey…read moreWilderness Preserve. There is no gate locking anyone out & there is no cost to enter. Even during the Coronavirus pandemic, this park has remained open w/ its one stall bathroom facility. There is no green county street sign on the main road alerting you to this park. Even its private wooden brown sign is so weather worn that it's almost impossible to see from the road. If you find yourself at the lighted intersection of SR 52 & Hays Rd, you've arrived. (A rather new Publix & Beef O' Bradys can be found in the nearby shopping plaza.) This nature preserve consists of dirt paths as well as paved ones. It is frequented by hikers, horseback riders, cyclists, & fishermen. It is handicapped accessible, but I'm not sure I would agree w/ that designation; the first 200+ yards of pathway are dirt, not level, & can be narrow. Once you reach the paved areas, the park is definitely handicapped accessible. I would not hike this preserve alone if you are directionally challenged as I. I saw no available map to use as a guide & it appears hikers have created many additional paths than what was originally intended. It would be easy to lose ones way. Areas not meant for the equestrian types were unfortunately visited; one path I walked was littered w/ horse poo. There are; however, 18 miles of equestrian trails. Riders age 16 & under must wear helmets & all riders must be able to show proof of a negative Coggins test tesult. According to the website, there are 20 miles of bike trails & 21 miles of hiking trails (which include wet trails). There are equestrian & primitive campsites w/ picnic tables & fire rings or grills. The one portable toilet is located near the camping area. After stepping in horse dodo, I didn't make it to the camping area. But I love this preserve, so I plan to return soon!

Great place to enjoy in family, different opinions, horse riding, hiking, biking or just walkingread more

Beautiful park to visit near Sandhill pine and is next to I-75…read more The park is free to park and there are lot of parking spots available. The park has lot of swings where children can enjoy and can have a picnic with available picnic tables for lunch or gathering. New Tampa Nature Park is popular for bike riders and has a nice trail. There is a small paved bridge also and the nature park is good for biking as well as hiking.

Great park in the heart of New Tampa. If you know where the taco bell is you aren't far from the…read morepark, a bit of a hidden gem. Did some walking and bushwhacking looking for geocaches here with a friend. She even hid one of her own so keep an eye out if you're a seeker :) There is a grwat zipline and little rock and rope area at the front of the park, kids were politely taking turns using the equipment. Park seems really well maintained and has a number of benches and picnic tables. Highly recommend especially if you have younger kids. It does feed into nearby larger parks in the area as well.

This was an easy jaunt from Tampa for the weekend. The "glampsites" are located in the Hillsborough…read moreState Park among all the regular camp sites. The accommodations are beyond comfortable- a/c, fan, fridge, coffee maker, outlets to charge devices, and a comfortable bed. We basically had the comforts of a hotel room while being on a camping trip. The esthetics and convenient set up ensures we'll definitely be back!

We went to Promised Land for our long awaited glamping experience only to be told that our…read morereservation had been cancelled. we were told that Timberline sent notification of such in an April email. Funny thing is.... we never received this email but lo and behold when we contacted them they were able to find our email and phone number. hmmmmm! Their irresponsible attitude leaves us bewildered. We will never have anything to do with Timberline again!,,

Got a fantastic latte, shopped for some fresh fruits and vegetables and as usual the staff is…read morereally really pleasant

It was horrible. Speed bumps? Everywhere. Park? Far from the entrance. Barely any shade.read more

If you're looking for the perfect place to hide in nature, this is the place. You can spot wildlife…read more(we saw a gator, different birds, turtles, etc.) and clear your head on one of the many walking paths. They also seem to have a pavilion to rent for parties.

I have been visiting this park for years!…read more This is on my "Host Suggestions" list when we have guests in town and is a hit every time! We visited the park recently and were on the hunt for as many bird species we could identify. Found some birds we had never seen before and it was so much fun trying to hunt them down by their calls. I've never not seen a gator when visiting but you had to take your time and look closely. I can't say enough about this park. Just $2 to enter the park. There are picnic areas you can reserve, volleyball courts, playgrounds, trails, restrooms and an onsite nature center. You really cannot ask for much more. Definitely worth the visit!

Very nice dog park. Clean, friendly people, excellent. Well behaved dogs. Interesting area.read more

Very close To our house -- we love the small dog size as…read moreit's more shady but overall great community asset!

Lake Dan Preserve is a cool enough place to spend a bit of time. It gives us a glimpse of untamed…read moreFlorida and reminds us that before tourism and theme parks forever changed the landscape of the Sunshine State, Florida was wild and untamed. I enjoy seeking out these places when I am traveling for business. It is great to find these hidden gems. One of the great things about traveling for work are these discoveries. I seek them out and am better for finding them. I encourage you to check this place out and seek out these hidden gems whether in your travels or even right there in your community.

Lake Dan Preserve is hidden in the back of a neighborhood with no signs on Tarpon Springs Rd…read moreindicating it's existence. If I lived nearby I'd keep it that way because this Hillsborough county park was an unexpected find that I thought was a beaut. At first glance, a small parking lot, playground and pavilion isn't much. However, once on the hiking trail a nice boardwalk with benches goes over a large lake. I used a trail guide from a QR code that led me to a Hillsborough park website to help me navigate because most signs in the park are colored posts and colors on trees indicating the path the hiker is on. I didn't see any signs indicating where paths went or their distance once at the park When I visited Lake Dan Preserve, I went straight (over the bridge/boardwalk) and took the second left (the red trail) and a few feet down is a picturesque lake that would make a great back drop for photos or an amazing place to relax by a small pond. Turn right and go down the yellow trail and you can hike into neighbouring Lake Francis Preserve. I choose to vear off and hike the connecting blue trail. The blue trail goes down a gravel road into several large open pastures. I must've said this is gorgeous 15 times. A short time later the trail turns as the back side of Trinity starts to come into view in the distance. As the path continues, it leads to Lake Dan and a fishing pier. It's basically a shorter version of the park's entrance bridge looking out a vibrant and large lake. Birds, fish and some cows mooing in the distance makes the pier a nice place to relax. Although, I can't imagine hiking that distance to find it crowded. When I visited Lake Dan my car was the only one in the parking lot and I didn't see another person inside the park. I plan on visiting this preserve again as I thought some it's views we're nice enough to be back drops in movie scenes. It's wide open spaces and lack of people inside made it's trails an excellent place to enjoy a peaceful hike.

If you wish get away from the city for a few minutes without having to travel far Lake Park should…read morebe on your to do list. I attended a friend's Christmas holiday event at Lake Park and it was surprising to find out what I had overlooked the last time I was there. This park has a number of FUN-dementals to offer the average city slicker. The park currently offers canoeing (weather permitting). Which we will go back in Spring to try out. They have a BMX ramp/exhibit which has areas for practicing *BMX membership required for practice. They have 3 hiking trails that span out about 1.5- 3 miles. **You can ride bikes also. It has 2 lakes: Jackson & Starvation which allows fishing and camping is allowed for non profit organizations. The park does have a few shelters for rent and if they are not reserved on a particular day they are first come first serve. Along with all of the things mentioned above the park offers a gazebo for intimate affairs like marriages. A horse-show.**Select dates. It has a volleyball space and an archery ramp. There's so much more to see at this beautiful conservatory I want you to make plans for that trip sooner than later!!

This park has an outdoor archery range. If you are a bow hunter and you live in north Hillsborough…read moreCounty, this is a good place to keep your skills sharp.

Pleasant walk. Lots of birds. Quiet and peaceful. A hidden gem. What I like most is that I don't…read moreget bothered by mosquitos.

Mixed shade trail with stretches in the open sun so make sure you grab water and SPF up or grab a…read morehat prior to heading out. There are no loos at this park. The parking lot has about 8ish spaces and a covered pavilion. The trail entrances require a trek back on the road to which you came and a jaunt down the roadway. We are geocachers and were able to find one prior to getting to the trail head which was nice for the littles with us. We found 2 of 3 we set out for so I consider that a success. An armadillo was spotted as were birds and groups of nice folk using the preserve. I saw a number of good picnic spots if one were so inclined. Will be back to this quiet space tucked away in New Tampa area.