| Hillsborough River State Park | |
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| Location | Hillsborough County,Florida |
| Nearest city | Tampa andZephyrhills |
| Coordinates | 28°06′14″N82°16′41″W / 28.10389°N 82.27806°W /28.10389; -82.27806 |
| Area | 3,383 acres (13.69 km2) |
| Established | 1935 |
| Governing body | Florida Department of Environmental Protection |
Hillsborough River State Park is located in the northeast corner ofHillsborough County,Florida nearZephyrhills (which is itself in Pasco County). It is a popular park due to its proximity to the city ofTampa. It closed in October 2024 due to damage fromHurricane Milton, and re-opened on February 24, 2025.[1]
The park consists of over 3,383 acres, and there are more than seven miles of trails that run throughout it. Popular activities includefishing,canoeing,kayaking,picnicking,camping,birding, easy to moderatehiking,[2]trail running, andnature photography. The park has award-winning campgrounds,[3] a restaurant, and gift shop.Canoes and bicycles can be rented at the park.[4]
Much of the park is alive oakhammock due to its proximity to the river. Certain sections areswampy, but much of the forest surrounding the river is elevated, so floods are not regular. Land near the entrance of the park consists ofpine trees andsaw palmettos.[5] The park is cleaved into two halves by a swiftly flowing section of theHillsborough River. This section of theriver is noted for having several clusters of smallrapids, including Class II rapids.[4] It is considered ablackwater river, and is one of the few rivers in Florida to have a system of rapids.
Hillsborough River State Park is one of the eight originalFlorida State Parks created in 1938. The park was originally built by theCivilian Conservation Corps[4] (CCC), and some of the original structures remain, including the buildings that now house the administrative offices and Interpretive Center, the suspension bridge, and a section of fence. These demonstrate therustic architecture style that was popular with the CCC.[6]
Also located on park land is a replica ofFort Foster, which was originally built in 1836 during theSecond Seminole War. Tours of the fort are given on weekends, which is the only way to view the fort. On special occasions, reenactments happen at the fort, where visitors can interact with "soldiers" in replica uniforms to learn about their duties at the fort.[7] The Interpretive Center, which is located near the original entrance to the park, showcases manyartifacts from the war. Both sides of the conflict are represented in the center, with a collection of more than 100 objects on display.[4]
| Climate data for Hillsborough River State Park | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 88 (31) | 91 (33) | 94 (34) | 99 (37) | 101 (38) | 102 (39) | 102 (39) | 99 (37) | 98 (37) | 95 (35) | 92 (33) | 89 (32) | 102 (39) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 72 (22) | 75 (24) | 78 (26) | 83 (28) | 88 (31) | 90 (32) | 91 (33) | 91 (33) | 89 (32) | 85 (29) | 79 (26) | 74 (23) | 83 (28) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 49 (9) | 52 (11) | 55 (13) | 59 (15) | 65 (18) | 71 (22) | 73 (23) | 73 (23) | 71 (22) | 65 (18) | 58 (14) | 52 (11) | 62 (17) |
| Record low °F (°C) | 17 (−8) | 22 (−6) | 24 (−4) | 32 (0) | 43 (6) | 49 (9) | 59 (15) | 61 (16) | 52 (11) | 38 (3) | 21 (−6) | 18 (−8) | 17 (−8) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 2.72 (69) | 2.82 (72) | 3.57 (91) | 2.69 (68) | 3.38 (86) | 8.62 (219) | 7.60 (193) | 8.32 (211) | 7.08 (180) | 2.36 (60) | 1.83 (46) | 2.66 (68) | 53.65 (1,363) |
| Source:http://wwworigin.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/FLSPHR:13 | |||||||||||||
