99 Great Places Within 99 Miles: Fort DeSoto Park

Posted @ Dec. 06 2011 06:50PM by Sondra - food-entertainment

If you are looking for an abundance of natural beauty within an hour’s drive, you should visit Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County, just over the Skyway Bridge. There, you’ll find an environment that’s filled with soft sand, turquoise water and shady pines.

The park is made up of five different keys or interconnected islands and is the largest park in the Pinellas County Park System. The islands (keys, in the local parlance) are home to great ecological diversity in beach plants, mangroves, wetlands, palm hammocks, hardwoods and native plants. Living among these are more than 290 species of birds and other wildlife.

Built for the Spanish-American War, Fort De Soto was finished after the war ended and never fired a shot. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It is worth exploring and also has ferry service to Egmont Key.

The amenities at the park include seven miles of waterfront; 800-foot long boat launching facility with eleven floating docks; camping; two large swim centers with food concessions; two fishing piers; two nature trails; canoe or kayak trail; souvenir shop; Quartermaster Storehouse Museum; and a dog park.

Whether you are sitting on the beach; kayaking near the still water’s edge; or walking nature trails or camping, Fort De Soto Park offers unmatched beauty. The Park is located nearby at 3500 Pinellas Bayway S., Tierra Verde, FL;727-552-1863