Hillsborough River State Park a tranquil treasure

HILLSBOROUGH RIVER STATE PARK — Standing on the banks of the prettiest waterway in Florida it's hard to imagine that this is the same river that flows through downtown Tampa.

"A lot of people feel the same way," said Alex Kinder, who gave up a high-paying job in the financial industry for the solace of working in a state park. "It is almost like there are two different rivers."

The Hillsborough, one of Florida's most popular paddling rivers, begins in the Green Swamp, east of Dade City and flows for 59 miles through Pasco and Hillsborough counties before emptying into Tampa Bay.

Most of the upper river runs through public lands managed by the state, county or the Southwest Florida Water Management District, and as a result, has remained mostly pristine.

If you work, live or play in downtown Tampa, and are used to the "urban" Hillsborough, you might find it hard to believe that a wilderness waterway lies less than 45 minutes away.

"It is really a great escape," Kinder said. "There is probably not another river as wild as this so close to a major metropolitan area."

The state park, one of nine original Florida state parks, is so close to the downtown business district that the Hillsborough's hard-core hikers keep a pair of comfortable shoes in the trunk and car so they can squeeze in a quick walk after work.

The park might be known paddling — a 34-mile designated canoe trail runs from Crystal Springs to Tampa's Rowlett Park — but it's the hiking trails that always bring me back for a spur of the moment adventure.

The park has four trails ranging in length from 1.1 miles to 3.4 miles that can easily be linked together for an all-day adventure. The River Rapids Nature Trail leads an intrepid hiker down to the Hillsborough's Class II rapids, a rare sight in Florida. Get there when the park opens at 8 and you stand a good chance of seeing a pair of river otters that love to play among the rocks.

The river, at least the section that runs through the state park, hasn't changed much in the last couple of hundred years. In 1835, the Fort King Military Road, which linked Tampa with present-day Ocala, ran straight through the heart of the area now occupied by the state park.

Not far from the rapids trail, U.S. troops built Fort Alabama in March 1836 to defend a strategic bridge that spanned the river. The woods were full of mosquitoes, wildcats and hostile Indians, which made life difficult for the poor soldiers forced to man the post.

The fort was eventually declared "indefensible" and the boys in blue left, leaving the banks of the Hillsborough to the panthers and alligators. Nobody paid much interest to the area until 1933 during the height of the Great Depression when the Civilian Conservation Corps set up shop to build many of the structures that still stand in the park.

The most obvious one is the old suspension bridge that leads to the Baynard Trail, named after Oscar E. Baynard, the park's first superintendent who served from 1938-45. The bridge is closed for repairs, but you can access the trail further down the river.

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There's a 3.4-mile segment of the orange-blazed Florida Trail. It is kind of muddy during the rainy season, but you can still make it to the primitive campsite, perfect for beginning backpackers. About 2 miles of park trail meanders about 20 feet above the river, a perfect opportunity for viewing gators.

If time is of the essence, park in Lot No. 2 and follow the signs to the River Rapids Nature Trail. Before you head into the forest, take a moment to read the "Prayer of the Woods" sign posted at the trail head. It will put you in the right frame of mind.

Bring a folding chair, book or thermos of coffee. To really enjoy the best show in the Tampa Bay area, you'll need to kick back and set a spell. But be careful, the song of the rapids might just lull you to sleep. Unlike Rip Van Winkle, you won't wake up in another time or place, just state, of mind that is.

Contact Terry Tomalin at ttomalin@tampabay.com.