Day Trippin' › Florida › From Tampa › Best hikes
Our picks for the best hikes within 3 hours of Tampa: 31 places, 5 under an hour away, 9 between 1 and 2 hours and 17 between 2 and 3 hours, counted by road time from ZIP 33602.
We put first the places with a real photo, a well-known name, a family-friendly note and an official site, then list the rest by drive time. The closest is Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail, 29 min west of Tampa.
Under 1 hour 1 to 2 hours 2 to 3 hours
Photo: Mathisen, Jim (USFWS), Public domain
#1 · Wildlife · 2 hr 33 min south
Drive, bike or walk a four-mile loop on Sanibel past roseate spoonbills, pelicans and wading birds.
Heads-up: Visitor center 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Fridays and federal holidays. Best at low tide. Sanibel causeway has a toll.
Photo: Tupelo the typo fixer, CC BY-SA 4.0
#2 · Bike trail · 43 min north
Florida's longest paved rail trail, about 46-47 miles through small towns and forest.
Heads-up: Pick a section; bring water.
Photo: LittleT889, CC BY-SA 4.0
#3 · Hike · 1 hr 21 min north
Quiet trails and a long loop through salt marsh and pine flatwoods on the Nature Coast. Great for birding and biking.
Heads-up: Open 8 a.m. to sunset. Little shade on some trails, so bring water and bug spray.
Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
#4 · Bike trail · 1 hr 58 min north
A 16-mile paved rail trail through forest and along Paynes Prairie.
Heads-up: Bring water; little shade in places.
Photo: Moni3 at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0
#5 · Island · 2 hr 5 min northeast
A car-free island in the St. Johns River, reached by a free ferry, with trails and a shell mound.
Heads-up: Last ferry leaves the island one hour before sundown.
Photo: US Fish and Wildlife Service, Public domain
#6 · Wildlife · 2 hr 46 min southeast
Two short trails into panther country near Immokalee. You will likely not see a panther, but the habitat is rich.
Heads-up: Trails open daylight only. No pets, no bikes. Most of the refuge is closed to the public.
Photo: Intergalacticz9 (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
#7 · Historic site · 2 hr 47 min northeast
Take a short free ferry to a small Spanish fort on a marsh island. Nice nature trail at the visitor center too.
Heads-up: Free boarding passes go fast, often by 11 am. Ferry runs weather permitting.
Photo: User:BucsWeb, Public domain
#8 · Bike trail · 29 min west
Paved trail of over 40 miles from Tarpon Springs through Dunedin to St. Petersburg. Lots of food stops on the way.
Heads-up: Crosses many busy roads. Little shade in places. Dunedin is a fun midpoint.
Photo: Christopher Hollis, Public domain
#9 · Beach · 37 min west
Wild Gulf beach with shelling, osprey nests on the pine trail and the ferry dock for Caladesi Island.
Heads-up: Open 8 a.m. to sundown. Ferry dock restrooms closed, portable toilets in use. North sandspit cut off by erosion.
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Philipp Michel Reichold assumed (based on…, CC BY-SA 2.5
#10 · Island · 38 min west
A ferry ride takes you to one of Florida's best undeveloped beaches, with soft sand and a mangrove paddle trail.
Heads-up: Reopened for day use June 2026 after storm repairs. Ferry leaves from Honeymoon Island. Some docks are day use only.
Photo: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
#11 · National park · 57 min south
Shaded waterfront trail where Spanish explorers are thought to have landed in 1539. Free and quiet.
Heads-up: Grounds open dawn to dusk, gates close at 5 p.m. Visitor center closed since hurricane damage.
Photo: Mwanner at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
#12 · Lake · 1 hr 15 min northeast
Rolling hills and a string of lakes near Clermont, with swimming, paddling and trails.
Heads-up: Swim area rules.
Photo: The original uploader was Mwanner at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0
#13 · Springs · 1 hr 38 min northeast
A clear, cool spring swimming area close to Orlando, with paddling and trails.
Heads-up: All day visitors need a reservation, including passholders.
Photo: Brandon Moore (Raskuly), CC BY 4.0
#14 · Hike · 1 hr 46 min southeast
Boardwalks through old cypress swamps and giant oaks, one of Florida's first state parks.
Heads-up: Tram runs 11 am and 1 pm in winter season.
Photo: Operator 16, CC0
#15 · Wildlife · 1 hr 51 min north
A huge open prairie where wild horses, bison and alligators roam. Climb the tower for the view.
Heads-up: Keep well back from bison, horses and gators. Hot in summer.
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park (1 hr 52 min), Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve (1 hr 59 min), Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (2 hr), Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park (2 hr 5 min), Calusa Heritage Trail (2 hr 16 min), Estero Bay Preserve State Park (2 hr 28 min), Barefoot Beach Preserve (2 hr 29 min), O'Leno State Park (2 hr 30 min), Ravine Gardens State Park (2 hr 37 min), Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge (2 hr 39 min), Collier-Seminole State Park (2 hr 45 min), Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park (2 hr 46 min), Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge (2 hr 50 min), Rookery Bay Environmental Learning Center (2 hr 52 min), Suwannee River State Park (3 hr), St. Augustine Lighthouse and Maritime Museum (3 hr)
Our top picks are J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge (2 hr 33 min), Withlacoochee State Trail (43 min), Crystal River Preserve State Park (1 hr 21 min), Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail (1 hr 58 min) and Hontoon Island State Park (2 hr 5 min). The page lists 31 places in all.
31: 5 under an hour away, 9 between 1 and 2 hours and 17 between 2 and 3 hours, by road from ZIP 33602.
Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail, about 29 min west of Tampa.
8 need no pass or fee, including Hontoon Island State Park, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge and Fort Matanzas. Fees change, so check each place.
19 of the 31 list themselves as open year-round. Places with a season say so on their card; check hours before you go.
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP <class 'zip'> (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner); places under 25 minutes away count as in town. Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.