Hike Reviews

Length – 5.6 miles
Estimated time – 4 hours
Difficulty – Easy, no elevation changes
Start point – Fort parking area

Hike Overview

This hike is planned as a five mile hike through the natural and historic parts of Fort DeSoto Park. The hike begins highlighting the natural side of the park. You will walk to the back of the island where you’ll experience the mangrove shallow water estuary ecosystem. You’ll then walk to the center of the barrier island where you’ll see the plant life that survives in the challenging sand dune environment. Passing over the last dunes onto the beach will provide a beautiful view of the Gulf of Mexico. Heading south, you’ll enter the historic part of the hike. A small but very well done museum begins a short walk through the old foundations of the military base. You’ll have an idea of what the base would have felt like over 100 years ago. The hike concludes with the highlight – Fort DeSoto!

About Fort DeSoto

Fort DeSoto is a county park on Barrier Island at the mouth of Tampa Bay. The park is very popular due to its beautiful beaches, fishing and views of the Gulf of Mexico. Not familiar to many visitors, is the historic 1890’s fort that is on the island. The island was used by the army to protect the entrance to Tampa Bay. It was later used as a quarantine station.