Pasco County has more real hiking and multi-use trail acreage than most people driving through on US-19 or I-75 ever realize. Three protected areas alone put tens of thousands of acres and dozens of miles of marked trail within the county’s borders — here’s where to go, depending on how far you want to walk and how wet you don’t mind getting.
Starkey Wilderness Preserve / Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park
Starkey Wilderness Preserve is the big one: roughly 18,000 acres in western Pasco County, east of New Port Richey, split across three tracts. Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park is the section managed directly by Pasco County, while the Serenova Tract and Anclote River Ranch Tract are managed by the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) and accessed through the same trail network.
Combined, the preserve’s hiking, biking, and equestrian trail systems add up to more than 50 miles. The centerpiece for most casual visitors is the Starkey Trail, a paved, roughly 6.7-mile multi-use path that links up with the 42-mile Suncoast Trail at its eastern end — so it’s an easy on-ramp to a much longer regional trail if you’re on a bike. The park also has picnic shelters, a primitive campground, and camping cabins, and allows dogs, birding, fishing, and inline skating in addition to hiking and biking.
Cypress Creek Preserve
Cypress Creek Preserve covers about 7,400 acres in central Pasco County and is managed by SWFWMD for flood control and as a public water supply well field — which also makes it one of the wetter, wilder hiking experiences in the county. It has roughly 19 miles of marked trails winding through shaded cypress swamp and pine flatwoods, home to wading birds, deer, and amphibians.
Come prepared for actual wetland conditions here rather than a dry, groomed path — sections of trail get excessively wet at certain times of year, so water-resistant footwear is worth it. The main access point is off Parkway Boulevard, about half a mile north of Pine View Middle School, with three additional access gates: Pump Station Road on the west side, the end of Quail Hollow Boulevard on the east, and the intersection of Eagle Boulevard and Swallow Drive.
Crews Lake Wilderness Park
Crews Lake Wilderness Park, off Shady Hills Road, is the smaller and more low-key option of the three, built around Crews Lake itself. It has hiking trails, a short paved bike trail, a playground, athletic fields, and a wooden observation tower overlooking the lake. It also hosts the Central Pasco and Gulf Railroad, a 7½-inch gauge miniature railroad that runs rides through the park on the second Saturday of every month — a good add-on if you’re bringing kids who might not make it through a full hike.
Picking the right one for the day
If you want serious mileage and a paved on-ramp to the Suncoast Trail for biking, Starkey Wilderness Preserve is the one to start with. If you want a genuine wetland hike through cypress swamp and don’t mind wet boots, Cypress Creek Preserve delivers that in a way the other two don’t. And if you’re bringing younger kids who need a shorter trail plus a playground and a reason to stick around, Crews Lake is the easiest half-day option of the three.