JCSP is one of my favorite places to hike in Northern Pinellas County. There is a boardwalk and tower along the river but also other trails within the park. There's a wealth of wildlife to be seen (a vast array of birds, alligators, frogs, otters, etc) Dogs are welcome in the park but NOT on the boardwalk trail. read more

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Nice place to rest. Many parking spots and fire places for great cooking ;) Playground and benches to rest are also there. read more

A relatively large park with lots of fauna and flora. If you enjoy outdoors photography this place is a dream. I am just a city girl with a cellphone camera, so I can't give you details except that there are many types of birds including eagles, squirrels, gators, turtles, deers and other animals, but check out the quality photos posted by other reviewers. The trail on wooden boardwalk is well maintained, there's a lookout tower. Near the parking lot there's a dog park as well as a children playground too. Definitely one of the better parks to go spend some time outdoors. read more

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I love it here! Hello nature! This place is breathtaking if you are a nature girl like me. Some trees down since the hurricanes but they still do a wonderful job keeping this place up to par. read more

It has a great dog run. My dog has PTSD and hates doggy mosh pits. But I lived in Manhattan and it's a great dog run area. It's very structured and not any places to go off the path exploring. My dog loves exploring and the tight maze like structure was too confining for his spirit and he ended our walk. This never happens to us in Starkey lol. Anyhow, it's a truly beautiful park and my husband and I love it, but my dog not so much. Probably too triggering for him in a lot of ways. He has a history before us. Anyway, on the way out I saw the most amazing sight. See the photos read more

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Park has a ton of beautiful birds and other critters right now. Always worth a walk-thru.... good exercise too. read more

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John Chestnut Senior Park is a great spot to throw a kids birthday party! I came for a friend's kids party and we all had a great time! You can reserve a shaded picnic shelter and have a nice open-air party close to Lake Tarpon and a nice large playground that the kids loved! If you take a nature trail, you can see lots of wildlife including red Cardinals, deer, armadillos, alligators, woodpeckers, and lots of different birds! John Chestnut Senior Park is a large 255 acre park with an extensive waterfront on Lake Tarpon and Brooker Creek in Palm Harbor, off East Lake Road, North of Tampa, in East Lake, north of Oldsmar, and west of Westchase, in the Tampa Bay area. John Chestnut Senior Park has 3 nice nature trails that provide different takes on the waterways, forests, and marshes that make up the park. The North Trail begins at Shelter #10, running through a cypress swamp to the canoe trail but it does not loop back. The Peggy Park Trail features a self-guided nature trail. The elevated boardwalk runs along the boat ramp, leading to an elevated lookout tower for a scenic overview of Lake Tarpon. Swimming is prohibited inside the park. Family-friendly and dog-friendly, the trails are comfortable for hikers of all ages, covering 2.7 miles two loops. Park Amenities include: 13 picnic shelters with grills boat ramp (fee charged) 2 playgrounds horseshoe pits softball field water fountains restrooms dog park Lake Tarpon, adjacent to the park, is 5 miles long and 1 mile wide, and 8-12 feet deep. Lake Tarpon can accommodate boats with engines. The canoe trail is a landlocked waterway connected to an interior lake, but can only accommodate boats without engines. Lake Tarpon is open to fishing from sunset until 9 a.m. Sunday through Thursday. There is no bag limit for channel catfish. If you're in the Palm Harbour, East Lake, Oldsmar, or Westchase areas of Tampa and looking for a nice nature trail to explore, a lake boat launch, or a new playground, I highly recommend John Chestnut Senior Park! read more

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This park was a gem of a find! They have a ton of things to do here. There's a play ground, grills, a ton of parking and shelters. We loved walking around the trails at the park. The nature was beautiful. read more

John Chesnut Sr Park - Parks Near Me - Palm Harbor, Florida

The boardwalks and the observation tower are great for walking and viewing. If you like to picnic, there are many tables on the boardwalk area with pretty views of the Lake. Everything is well taken care of, although it is so disappointing to see that people throw beer cans and water bottles over the sides. We were lucky enough to see some deer, a bottle nosed turtle, a cardinal, an alligator, some ducks, and many, many squirrels. There was someone feeding the birds sunflower seeds, and you could tell this was a common occurrence. The squirrels have become used to this and come right up to you as you are walking, which is never good. All the trees and blooming flowers are very pretty. I wish the trails were loops, and not knowing the Park at all, we just backtracked on every trail. read more

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Great park! They have multiple different locations that you can park and walk around or park and look over the lake. There are two walking trails that have boardwalk sections, which allow for easy navigation of a stroller. The trails aren't extremely long, but aren't bad to do for some extra steps. They have picnic shelters, baseball fields, playgrounds, and a dog park. Lots of options! The playground is great- they have one for younger kids and one for older kids. It is always packed on the weekdays but is more manageable during the week. There is a bathroom right next to the playgrounds as well, which is great placement for parents with potty training kiddos. Lots of parking available as well! read more

The preserve is very nice. There are two sections of trail that we hiked. The first is pretty short with lake views and a viewing tower. The other is a little less than 3 miles in length. Both have a lot of boardwalks that are very handicapped accessible. There was not an abundance of wildlife that we saw. However, we did see a rather large bottle nose turtle, a bunch of deer, along the path, as well as lots of squirrels, fish and birds. read more

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Want to see lots of alligators? Come here Want to have squirrels come very close to you & almost seem like they are going to jump on you? Come here. Actually, it was a little scary as I really thought a squirrel was going to jump on me - that is how close they come to you. There are real nice walking trails through the swamps & you get a great view of Lake Tarpon & the wildlife. I couldn't believe how many baby alligators I saw today - very cool! This place is amazing! read more

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I don't think I've been here since I was 8 or 9, when friends of mine were having a birthday party and it was here. Back then this was Brooker Creek Park, not to be confused with the preserve. This park is HUGE. It has a gorgeous lakefront, which I've only ever seen in glimpses as I drove past to the shelter we always met at. They have a huge playground, a dog park and lots of walking trails. The park is fantastic for doing what you need to be doing: Living life. People come here to walk, run, bike ride, train, do fitness things and what have you. We have a rock painting group that has a shelter and during the cooler (heh) summer months we meet here and it's absolutely lovely. read more

John Chesnut Sr Park - sign on the bathroom door near shelter 6. - Parks Near Me - Palm Harbor, Florida

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I've totally enjoyed my walks in this large park. There is plenty of shade and a nice variety of environments including hidden pathways, roads and boardwalks. I've seen deer, calmly munching away on grassy snacks, multiple times. I've also seen some beautiful butterflies and birds. My only complaints are the following: 1. When it's rained or is raining, the boardwalks are unbelievably slippery. It's like walking on ice so I strongly recommend being very careful! 2. The boardwalk to the viewing tower is closed so I haven't been able to find a way to it. I'm sure it will be fixed eventually! Life is good! read more

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This park is everything you could wish for and more from picnic pavilions - some are first come & serve basis whereas others you can make a reservation online to the many boardwalks tucked away as well as dog parks for small and medium dogs. A big playground for kids and volleyball court, too! There's many boardwalks including one that has a lookout tower! We were able to checkout many of the trails that provided a beautiful view of the swamp and water - very pretty and wheelchair accessible for some parts. I can't wait to return to BBQ and spend time with family and friends. It may require a little digging, but there's several boardwalks scattered throughout the park, which we were so happy to discover. read more

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Deer, gator and squirrels that are friendlier than most people. Another free park that offers a few miles of boardwalk and gravel trails right on Lake Tarpon. There is also an extensive road network you can bike on in the park that leads to various pavilions you can rent for outdoor gatherings. Besides the wildlife already mentioned there is an array of birds and waterfowl that you do not normally see in most places. Highly recommend for all ages as it is easy to navigate and short enough to cut your walk short of the need arises. read more

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Gorgeous park! This park offers so much. Vast dog areas for big and small dogs, plenty of areas for small parties and gatherings and running trails. It's so beautiful and peaceful. My dog, Hudson, loves the dog area. He runs around playing with other dogs or just runs himself in circles. We've been able to see deer while visiting which is always nice. There's plenty of parking and plenty of shade when walking around. We also found of bench swings over looking water - no signs of gators but I'm sure they're in there somewhere. John Chesnut Senior Park is Dog approved and Pet owner approved! read more

John Chesnut Sr Park - The fiancé and pup enjoying the park - Parks Near Me - Palm Harbor, Florida

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Beautiful park. Fun boardwalk but watch out for the squirrels! Gator was eating another gator in the pond! That was a first!

Great park located right on Lake Tarpon. You can see gators off the docks or picnic. There is a great dog park although dogs are not allowed on the trials. The trails take you to various parts of the park and are a great place to get some exercise. If you live in the area this is a must see park. I love walking here. read more

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What a wonderful park Filled with lots of natural animal sightings family and dog friendly read more

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Beautiful trails, great walking- jogging- running opportunities. A lot of nature and wild life. A great park to bring visitors. A perfect picnic spot. This park offers so much. A photographers paradise. read more

This park is great for the littles and bigs alike. The 2-5 year old playground has 2 swings and a decent play area. The over 5 playground has 4 swings and a pretty good sized playground. There's plenty of space for the kids to move around, run around, and explore. I love that you can take walks on the board walk and go up into the bird watchers observation tower. There's a ball field, a boat ramp, a nature trail, dog park, and grills. read more

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One of the many great parks in Pinellas county. I've been to this park a few times and it's always a great experience. I've taken family pictures, walked around to enjoy the scenery and fished at this park. It's really is one my favorite parks. It's a huge park with plenty of shelters, trails, a boat ramp and other Amenities that parks offer. There's also always a lot of wildlife to see. read more

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Fantastic park for a birthday party. I have learned that when you have a child that means you will attend a million birthday parties. I should set aside a special fund for birthday presents. Our latest party was at this park. When the host sent out a map to show us where shelter 8 was located, I got worried. It looked like a huge park! it is a huge park, but it is very easy to find the shelters. The signage is great! There are tons of play structures so even though we were over a bridge by the water, there was our own dedicated play structure, which was fantastic. It had two slides and swings. There was also a ton of space under the structure with a good amount of tables. You could easily host 30 people under one of these! I was seriously impressed. There was also a restroom near the play structure. It was clean. Tons of parking so you'll have no issues there either. I am a huge fan of this park. If you live close by, this is the place to throw a party! read more

Lovely park. Trails near boat ramp and at far back. Nice boardwalks on water. Picnic areas for families all around park and shelters by reservation. View on Lake Tarpon, ponds, Brooker Creek, and cypress swamp. Saw gators, deer, gallinules, some other birds, and a bronasaurus. Brooker Creek Preserve is bigger and wilder but this is a nice quick stop. read more

Excellent park trails many with elevated walkways to keep the gators at bay. Beautiful views of water and birds. read more

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This park has so much to offer. We could've spent hours. I visited with my 3 kiddos ages 5-10. They had fun at both playgrounds - really great structures. Then we went to shelter 9 (near where 2nd playground is) and got to see turtles, wading birds, and gators in the water. We hiked around the boardwalk and people weren't joking when they said the squirrels were aggressively friendly. I'd blame people like the family in front of us feeding them cheese puffs from their hand don't be those idiots. No songbirds in sight, was hoping to see some. After our walk we caught sunset at the other side of the park from the lookout tour. Park where the signs point and not in the paid boat lot. Saw more gators, great big wading birds, and bugs actually weren't terrible out there by the water! read more

I LOVE this park! Sooo much wildlife to see. If you're a birder like myself, you'll have a field day identifying the vast amount of birds. On this day specifically the highlight was hearing two Barred Owl's in the distance singing back and forth! Gators, Deer, Birds, small mammals... they are all here. Many places to trail walk! Doggy park! Ball field! It's right on the water so there is a boat ramp as well. A ton of pavillions and play grounds to host parties/cookouts, or to just take your kiddos to play. read more

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This is a very beautiful park with a lot of things to do. There is a lake, playground, many boardwalks, and a valley ball court. I highly recommend visiting this place. read more

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MY HISTORY IN THE PARK: I have been coming to this park for about two decades. When I lived nearby this was my local dog park where I would take Annie... an Australian Cattle Dog (red heeler) mix, affectionately referred to as an Oz Cowdog. Annie loved this park but, really enjoy our leash sprints across the baseball field and creeping up toward squirrels she knew we would never catch. Then we would run to the next tree base and creep some more. LoL... I could say "Dog Park" and she loved it so much that she would head right to the door and bark, as if to say, "Yep, I'm ready. Hurry up slowpoke!" We even returned to this park, many times, after having purchased a home in another county. Sadly, she succumbed to breast cancer on her 3 bout with the effing disease. I also used the parks paved inner loop many, many times to get extra miles on my century bike rides, when Lansbrook loops bored me and I didn't want to travel far from the area. WHERE I GATHER WITH.MY FAMILY: I also enjoyed plenty of barbeques here. These usually took place toward the back of the park, at a shelter that is practically right on Lake Tarpon. It is a bit of a walk but, worth it. Most want the convenience of opening a tailgate and plopping their coolers (and butts) down right there. Many times I have been thankful for this degree of laziness. Some may ask why would a I disclose this tip? Well, I don't live here anymore, lol. FAUNA: The wildlife here includes: Deer, squirrels, owls, raccoons, opossums, and all types of marine and woodland birds... Oh and of course... alligators. BIG WILDLIFE TIP: If you come here to see wildlife, do yourself a favor and do not come on the weekends or holidays. Those are the times that people tend to come to this tranquil park and blast music at levels far beyond appreciable and they fill the once quiet air with the sounds of screaming children. I recently visit on a holiday and the screams definitely kept the deer far hidden from sight. I knew where they would be but, the park urges it's guests to refrain from straying off the established trails... so I waited until just after sunset to enjoy some mammal photography. read more

Nice county park on lake tarpon. Lots of wildlife to see in early morning and early evening. Deer are prevalent.

John Chesnut Park is a pretty hidden gem in the middle of congestion and urban sprawl that surrounds it. The park has beautiful views of lake tarpon and is a boating destination. The park is free but it costs $10 to access the boat ramp. John Chesnut Park has several boardwalks that run along Lake Tarpon. The unpaved nature trails run through tall sabal palm forests where you'll hear birds chirping and see lush green trees. Benches can found throughout the park where visitors can relax and take in the views. The park's boardwalks has tons of scenic water views of Lake Tarpon. An observation tower near the boat ramp really allows visitors to take it all in. The park also has three playgrounds one for each age range, a very large fenced in dog park, land and water based pavillions, swing benches, open recreation field and boat ramp access. 1/3 times I visit Chesnut Park I see deer near the exit of the park. I also saw a large alligator in a pond my last time here. Squirrels run along the boardwalk and right up to hikers This park is well known to locals and is normally occupied from open to close. Visitors walk thier dogs, bike and hike the trials and bbq at the pavillions. If you're near John Chesnut or stuck in traffic on East Lake Road stop in and see this beautiful park. read more

John Chesnut Sr Park - The boardwalk that runs along the water - Parks Near Me - Palm Harbor, Florida

This is easily one of my favorite parks in the Palm Harbor area! With a couple playgrounds, trails, a dog park, a boat ramp, volleyball court, baseball field, and several large picnic areas, there's something for everyone here.  There are some pretty nice views of Lake Tarpon  and a good spot for bird watching.  I see deer and alligators almost every time I visit too.  There's plenty of parking and a lot of shade.  It is a great place to host an event or just to spend a little time taking a walk.  If you live in the area, it's definitely worth a visit! read more

John Chesnut Sr Park - Parks Near Me - Palm Harbor, Florida

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Update!! All new playground very safe & inclusive! We love this park as a place for a nice nature walk. Next to that playground, there is a small dog park that is well maintained. We enjoy walking the board walk as there are many picnic areas with shade to stop and enjoy lunch with water on one side and the forest on the other. If you venture to shelter 4 it is currently sectioned off as a mother gator has laid eggs near by. It was cool to drive by and see the mother gator sunbathing. The park is rather big and I would recommend for the true forest lovers to check out shelter 12 or 13 as they are deeper into the park and have lots of wild life. We have seen deer, squirrels, frogs and of course, dozens of lizards at these locations. This is also a nice area to host family get together or birthday parties as the dense trees provide shade from the strong Florida sun! Most of the shelters do have a grill present as well as plenty of picnic table read more

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Absolutely loved walking through this park/trail! Beautiful views of the lake, raised pathways, heavily shaded trail, and an observation deck. There was so much wildlife...deer, owls, an eagle, baby gators, squirrels, cardinals, and other birds. They all seemed used to/comfortable with the people...and there were a LOT of people...everywhere. Very heavy (people) traffic in all areas. There's a large dog park, boat/canoe launch, playground, picnic shelters, and plenty of parking. read more

Love this park . Lots of area to hangout and lots of parking . Lots of pavilions and wildlife

Not sure what a park would need to be better than this one. Mountains? Ski slopes? Other stuff that's not in Florida? John Chestnut Sr. Park is large, has tons of walking trails, plenty of bathrooms, grills, pavilions and a lot of wildlife. Gators, deer and cardinals are nearly a guarantee for each visit. I even saw a bald eagle once. I like to make the left at the first stop sign and park near the large boat ramp, and then take the boardwalk to the lookout tower. This is an optimal spot for taking sunset pictures. If walking north past the tower, the boardwalk continues to several pavilions that extend out on to the lake. This is where I've seen the most gator activity. Great for pics. Get out on Google Maps and take a look at some of the incredible GPS pics people have taken. Don't be afraid to get off the beaten path and explore. The park is massive. read more

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If you love deer, this is the place for you. I'm still pissy about some savage deer eating my plants, but they're pretty cute. The park is nice for wandering about in nature. Only a few trails, one being a loop around some water. My favorite spot is tucked away, and that's all I'll say :) Tons of shelters available, easy & free parking, easy access to playgrounds and a dog park (I believe.) read more

This is a great park in Pinellas County. I like different ones for different reasons, but this has a decent dog area, good playgrounds for kids, a nice boardwalk trail to see out to the lake, a lookout tower, and a boat launch zone. It's peaceful and a good place to enjoy nature. If you live nearby, a definite visit. I don't know if it has anything unique enough to travel far to visit (since there are a lot of county parks scattered around) but it's still a quality location. read more

John Chesnut Sr Park - Squirrel on fountain - Parks Near Me - Palm Harbor, Florida

Absolutely love this park! Tons of walking trails both paved and non paved. There are a couple great playgrounds for the kids as well as a softball field. We love the views of the lake and all the nature. read more