It’s no secret that active people like to be active while on vacation. And, when it comes to taking a run or a long walk, no place beats our local parks and trails in scenery or in number. Here’s just a sample to get you started on the path to fun and good health.
Scenic city streets and paved paths
Fort De Soto Park, the crown jewel of the county park system, gets national props for its beaches. Another of its outstanding features is a 6.8-mile asphalt running/bike path that winds along the beaches and beside evergreen mangroves, palm trees, beach daisies and sea oats. It’s scenic, but not shaded, so in the summer try to hit it early, and always remember sunscreen.
For waterfront cityscape views, downtown St. Petersburg’s downtown parks are excellent options. Vinoy Park and Straub Park stretch along Tampa Bay, giving access to wide-open green space (as well as sidewalks cafés, in case you want to stop for a cup of coffee afterward). If you run in the morning or early evening, you may find yourself accompanied by dolphins that surface along the seawall. Just north of downtown, Crescent Lake is circled by a winding, one-mile-long concrete path. The city park is also a good place for tennis or a touch football game.
Local parks and green spaces
Other freshwater lake trails can be found inland at Walsingham Park and John S. Taylor Park in Largo and Lake Seminole Park in Seminole. You may spot bald eagles and alligators from Lake Seminole Park’s two-mile-long multi-use trail, which is adjacent to the massive lake and protected wilderness area. The Largo Central Park Nature Preserve is ideal for those who prefer shorter asphalt tracks. Its ¾-mile trail through the woods is open to walkers, runners, bicyclists and roller bladers.
In Tarpon Springs, a historic town of Greek heritage, Fred Howard Park offers a dirt waterfront/walking trail that’s gentle on the joints. While biking or walking at Wall Springs Park in nearby Palm Harbor, be sure to check out the natural flowing waters that turn-of-the-century spa-goers considered to have healing powers. Later, take a break to enjoy the park’s boardwalks and 35-foot observation tower.
Rails to trails
On the Bayshore Linear Greenway in quaint Safety Harbor, you can run along the waterfront and underneath immense live oaks dripping with Spanish moss. The Greenway connects to the paved Ream-Wilson Trail (locally known as the East-West Trail), which has gentle slopes.
The paved Dunedin Causeway Trail connects the mainland town to Honeymoon Island State Park. Like many of these trails, it links to the 37-mile Fred E. Marquis Pinellas Trail, which runs north-south from Tarpon Springs to downtown St. Petersburg. The multi-use trail follows the path of a former rail line and takes you through downtowns, former orange groves and wooded areas. You can download a helpful Pinellas Trail guide with maps showing restaurants, bike shops and place to rest.
Pinellas County also offers a resourceful Greenways Guide that gives information about many of these and other park trails. So, lace up and enjoy the scenery.
If You Go:
City of St. Petersburg Parks Department, 727-893-7441, www.stpete.org/parks
Ream Wilson Trail, 727-562-4800, www.myclearwater.com
Pinellas Trail Guide, 727-549-6099, www.pinellascounty.org/trailgd
Pinellas County Greenways Guide, 727-582-2100, www.pinellascounty.org/park
