Little Manatee River State Park
This was an awsome day hike. I know that I have said that before but this was a good one! I was seeking a nice hike for the day but I wanted a hike in an area I have never been before so I decided to go south about a half hour to Little Manatee.Ill start with how to get there. From Tampa go South on I-75. Get off on 240A and go East thru Sun City Center. Turn right on 301 going south. In about 4 miles turn Right on Lightfoot and almost shortly Right into the park. At the ranger station, let them know what you are up to and they will give you a trail map and a combo to the gate that will get you to the trail head. After that you leave the park and go back the way you came. Once back on 301 heading North, after the river, you will see a dirt road pulloff on the Left. Thats the parking lot. The gate combo is usefull if primitive camping mainly or if you cant jump a fence. There is a small parking lot inside the gate to leave your vehicle. I just left mine on the outside and hoped the gate. I guess you dont need to bother with the ranger station if you dont want... you didnt hear that from me.Once on the trail from the parking lot a short blue blazed trail will take you to the North / South split. I went North (right) as I wanted to see the river on the way back which is on the South side of the trail. Right away it was soggy so be prepared. As you walk, you will hike thru pine forest onto sand flats into marsh lands. The stillness was amazing out there. You quickly realize that you are the guest. There are constantly things going on all around you if you can tune into it. I took the campground spur just to check it out. .4 miles round trip so no biggie. Nice site with a table and thats about it.. At one point on the main trail it washed out so bad that I doubled back 100 yards to find a blaze to verify that I was on the trail which I was. After a while I was surprised to wind up basically in someones backyard as part of the trail borders a subdivision. As you get down in to the marsh it gets really neat. I was waiting for the whole forest to come alive but no luck. I didnt see a thing which really surprised me. Walking along the river is always neat too. Word to the wise, if hiking the whole trail.. after you pass the blue connector the trail gets really tight and ill maintained. Not a deal breaker but interesting. Overall, great hike. I want to make a point to do this during the differant seasons as the plant life is diverse and I look forward to the spring, summer and fall blooms that I have heard so much about. Today my hike was 6.7 but if you take the blue connector you can cut that in half. This can be a great day hike or short overnighter.
You choose but deffinatly walk it!
