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Rocky Creek Trails Nature Preserve
4.4 ★★★★☆ 190 Google reviews · Running trail in Tampa, Florida · Dawn to dusk
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Mixed
- Loop distance
- Not reported
- Shape
- Loop
- Shade
- Tree cover
- Access
- Dawn to dusk
Confirmed from Rocky Creek Trails Nature Preserve's own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
Park offering short paved trails for walking and biking beside a creek and a bridge.
What runners say about Rocky Creek Trails Nature Preserve
“It is lovely, well maintained and great getaway close to home.”
“This trail is beautiful, clean, shaded, wide path.”
“Nice but very short trail, with lots of shade from the large native trees and lots of wild potato vine wrapped around them.”
Nice but very short trail, with lots of shade from the large native trees and lots of wild potato vine wrapped around them. About half way there is a cute little bridge over the creek, when you get to the end you can backtrack or use the upper Tampa Bay trail to return to the parking lot.
This trail is awesome for a walk or bike ride. Its long enough to give you a good, long peaceful walk, jog or run to clear the mind. It also offers great shade in certain parts of the trail, especially the hiking area and bridge. It is lovely, well maintained and great getaway close to home.
Very cute and well maintained trail, about .25 miles and ends at the biking trail that runs parallel to the traffic. The parking is 2 dollars and is a self service machine.
Beautiful place. They're building a bridge over rocky creek too that's gonna be awesome. **Edit** I just went about a week ago- the middle of January 2020- and the bridge is finished, it's absolutely beautiful.
Trail conditions & character
“About half way there is a cute little bridge over the creek, when you get to the end you can backtrack or use the upper Tampa Bay trail to return to the parking lot.”
“This trail is beautiful, clean, shaded, wide path.”
“If you are someone who drives there with your bike to use the upper Tampa Bay bike trail it's a great place to park and the parking lot is very nicely paved and maintained.”
“Nice but very short trail, with lots of shade from the large native trees and lots of wild potato vine wrapped around them.”
“The shortest I've ever seen in my life actually, it's just a tiny little loop that goes from the parking lot to the upper Tampa Bay bike trail.”
“You can venture further back and find a stream and boardwalk.”
“They're building a bridge over rocky creek too that's gonna be awesome.”
Plan your run at Rocky Creek Trails Nature Preserve
The practical stuff
- AccessDawn to dusk — the gates close, so do not plan a run that finishes after dark
- SurfaceMixed — more than one surface along the route, so check the segment you plan to run
- DistanceNot reported. Trail systems often quote total path mileage rather than a single loop, so measure the route you actually want before you drive out.
- ShadeRunners describe real tree cover here — it makes a summer afternoon workable
- At the trailheadparking — reported by runners
- Websitehillsboroughcounty.org
- Phone(813) 264-8513
- Social Instagram · Facebook
Hours
| Monday | 8 AM–6 PM |
| Tuesday | 8 AM–6 PM |
| Wednesday | 8 AM–6 PM |
| Thursday | 8 AM–6 PM |
| Friday | 8 AM–6 PM |
| Saturday | 8 AM–6 PM |
| Sunday | 8 AM–6 PM |
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