Cypress Creek
Nature preserve
817 acres2.8 mi of trail
Yellow TrailRed TrailBlue Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Clément Bardot · CC BY-SA 4.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Tampa
9% of Tampa’s land is conserved: 6,658 acres
The biggest trail networks: Cypress Creek (2.8 mi), MLK Plaza (2.2 mi), Al Lopez Park (1.9 mi). 89% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 46 miles of mapped trail cross Tampa, 0.4 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns · #144 of 638 in Florida. What drives it
Conserved land
9%
6,658 acres · of 114.5 sq mi of land
Trails
46 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
5,699 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
89%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
264 mi
156 mi lanes · 71 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
15
22 beaches · 22 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Tampa?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Tampa have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Tampa is ahead of 73% of U.S. towns, #144 of 638 in Florida. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Tampa’s overall grade.
Conserved land9% of the land · typical FL town 3% · U.S. 4%B+Trails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (46 mi) · FL 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (5,699 acres) · FL 6 · U.S. 13BParks close to home89% of residents within a half mile of a park · FL 70% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 73%
LessMore
Florida towns of 2,500+ (638)Ahead of 78%
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Tampa ranks #250 on Outdoors.
Water is 36% of Tampa’s area (64 of 178 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 6%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A−. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Cypress Creek, with 2.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Al Lopez Park
Managed by City of Tampa Parks and Recreation
128 acres1.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Picnic Island Park
Managed by City of Tampa Parks and Recreation
68 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Sycamore Forest
Park
12 acres0.8 mi of trail
USF Parcours
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 104 parks & preserves
Cypress Creek817 acres · 2.8 mi of trail
DirectionsMLK Plaza12 acres · 2.2 mi of trail
DirectionsAl Lopez Park128 acres · 1.9 mi of trail · City of Tampa Parks and Recreation
DirectionsGreek Village21 acres · 1.6 mi of trail
DirectionsPicnic Island Park68 acres · 1.1 mi of trail · City of Tampa Parks and Recreation
DirectionsSycamore Forest12 acres · 0.8 mi of trail
DirectionsTakomah Trail Park24 acres · 0.6 mi of trail
DirectionsUSF Arts Mall5 acres · 0.5 mi of trail
DirectionsMcKay Bay Nature Park17 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
18th Avenue Park14 acres · 0.4 mi of trail
DirectionsGadsden Park76 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsSimmons Park9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsA.J. Palonis Jr. Park9 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsCastor Beach3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail
DirectionsMacDill 4850 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Lowry Park47 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Bobby Hicks Park38 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Lewis Lake18 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
Branchton Park9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSkyview Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCotanchobee Fort Brooke Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsUSF NPHC Plaza3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsSolar Awesomeness2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsCypress Point Park33 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Tampa Parks and Recreation
DirectionsSkyway Park24 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsJulian B. Lane Riverfront Park23 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Tampa
DirectionsRobles Park23 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsHenry & Ola Park18 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRiver Tower Park17 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsForest Hills Park14 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
David E. West Park9 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsSulphur Springs Park6 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Tampa Parks and Recreation
Perry Havery Senior Park5 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsLincoln Gardens Park3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Tampa Park Plaza3 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsUSF Contemplation Garden2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsReed Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful
Phil Bourquardez Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsRowlett Park87 acres
DirectionsCity of Tampa Park53 acres
Copeland Park50 acres
DirectionsMacFarlane Park26 acres · City of Tampa Parks and Recreation Department
Directions22nd Street Park24 acres
Greco Softball Complex23 acres
DirectionsDeSoto Park15 acres
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Recreation Complex14 acres
MacDugal Park14 acres
Woodland Terrace Park14 acres
DirectionsMarjorie Park12 acres
DirectionsRivercrest Park11 acres
DirectionsIndependence Park at Harbor Bay11 acres · MacDill AFB
DirectionsDiamondback Nature Preserve9 acres
DirectionsPlymouth Playground9 acres
DirectionsCuscaden Park9 acres
DirectionsForest Hills Dog Walk Loop9 acres
Ragan Park8 acres
Ballast Point Park8 acres · Tampa Parks and Recreation
DirectionsSouthwest Port Tampa Park8 acres
Hyde Park8 acres
DirectionsWest Tampa Little League6 acres
DirectionsPlymouth Park6 acres
Swann Park6 acres
Plant Park6 acres · University of Tampa
DirectionsVila Brothers Park6 acres · Armory Gardens Civic Association
Riverview Terrace Playground6 acres
Riverside Garden Park6 acres
Calvin Taylor Park5 acres
DirectionsGiddens Park5 acres
Ignacio Haya Linear Park5 acres
Fair Oaks Park5 acres
DirectionsMemorial Park5 acres
DirectionsLoretta Ingraham Park5 acres · City of Tampa
Perio & Albany Park3 acres
Riverside Park3 acres · City of Temple Terrace
Foster Park3 acres
DirectionsTampa Waterworks Park3 acres
DirectionsBorrell Park3 acres
DirectionsThe Meadows3 acres
DirectionsSeminole Heights Garden Center3 acres
DirectionsKiley Gardens3 acres
DirectionsGrant Park3 acres
Freedom Park3 acres
Epps Park3 acres
Centennial Park3 acres
DirectionsSpanish American War Memorial Park3 acres
DirectionsYbor City Museum State Park3 acres · Florida State Parks
DirectionsUpper Tampa Bay Park2 acres · Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation
Anderson Park2 acres
DirectionsJim Walters Park2 acres
Fred Ball Park2 acres
DirectionsGwazi Field2 acres
DirectionsC. Broughton Williams Park2 acres
Harbour Isles Park2 acres
Dick Greco Plaza2 acres
DirectionsRey Park2 acres
DirectionsJefferson Street Park2 acres
DirectionsPurity Springs Park2 acres
Joe Chillura Courthouse Square2 acres
DirectionsLykes Gaslight Park2 acres
DirectionsOakwood Village Community Clubhouse2 acres
Corona Park2 acres
USF Park on the Riverwalk2 acres
DirectionsWashington Street Park2 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
6,658 conserved acres
9% of Tampa’s land. Water is left out: Tampa has 114.5 square miles of land and 63.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Tampa’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Town or city5,118 ac
Other state land592 ac
County526 ac
State fish & wildlife514 ac
Private owners6 ac
State parks3 ac
Regional Water Districts3 ac
Local Conservation Area · 2,378 acLocal Park · 1,833 acLocal Other or Unknown · 895 acState Resource Management Area · 592 acLocal Recreation Area · 537 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 493 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 167 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ecopalms Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 1,310 | Open |
| Cypress Creek Preserve (Hillsborough County) Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 812 | Open |
| University of South Florida Ecological Research Area State Resource Management Area | Other state land | 592 | Open |
| Picnic Island Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 443 | Open |
| Rogers Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 205 | Open |
| North Tampa Mitigation Bank Private Conservation | Not recorded | 163 | Closed |
| Other Public Land3 Local Park | County | 157 | Open |
| McKay Bay Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 146 | Open |
| Port Tampa Restoration Local Conservation Area | County | 134 | Open |
| Babe Zaharias Golf Course Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 129 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
219 places to go in Tampa
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Tampa
Picnic Island BeachIn Picnic Island Park
DirectionsPicnic Island Beach
DirectionsPicnic Island BeachIn Picnic Island Park
DirectionsPlus 19 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Public pools in Tampa
Carlyle on Waters Swimming Pool
DirectionsCarlyle on Waters Swimming Pool
DirectionsCopeland Diving PoolIn Copeland Park
DirectionsCopeland Park Swimming PoolIn Copeland Park
DirectionsEndless Surf
DirectionsParadise Lagoon
DirectionsPlus 1 public pool without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Playgrounds in Tampa
Castaway Falls
DirectionsCheney Park
DirectionsGrand Hampton Playground
DirectionsHighland Park
DirectionsHighland Park Playground
DirectionsOakdale PlaygroundIn Plymouth Park
DirectionsPicnic Island PlaygroundIn Picnic Island Park
DirectionsPlaygrounds of Tampa
Directions5 more playgrounds
Rivercrest Park PlaygroundIn Rivercrest Park
DirectionsShaka Laka Shores
DirectionsSkyview PlaygroundIn Skyview Park
DirectionsWater PlaygroundIn Ballast Point Park
DirectionsWater Playground
Directions126 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Dog parks in Tampa
4th and Angel Dog Park
DirectionsBay Paws Ybor
DirectionsBowery Bayside Dog ParkHours: sunrise-sunset
DirectionsDavis Islands Dog Beach
DirectionsDavis Islands Dog Park
DirectionsDeputy Kotfila Memorial Dog Park
DirectionsFallen Oak Dog Park
DirectionsHenry and Ola Park Dog ParkIn Henry & Ola Park
Directions9 more dog parks
James Urbanski Dog ParkIn Al Lopez Park
DirectionsJulian B. Lane Riverfront Park - Dog Park
DirectionsM South Dog Park
DirectionsMeridian Dog Run
DirectionsNew Tampa Dog Park
DirectionsPalma Ceia Dog Park
DirectionsPicnic Island Dog BeachIn Picnic Island Park
DirectionsPups Pub
DirectionsTwo Shepherds Taproom
DirectionsPlus 7 dog parks without a name on the map.
Boat launches in Tampa
Lowry Park Boat RampIn Lowry Park
DirectionsWater Works Park Canoe/Kayak Launch
DirectionsPlus 20 boat launches without a name on the map.
Fishing spots in Tampa
Pat's Hole
DirectionsScenic views in Tampa
401 Gardened GazeboIn MLK Plaza
Directions402 Gardened GazeboIn MLK Plaza
DirectionsGiraffe Feeding & Viewing
DirectionsPlus 4 scenic views without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Tampa
1 campground without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Tampa
1 disc golf course without a name on the map.
Trails & water
7 named trails and 15 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 3.7 miUnpaved · 10.0 mi
USF Parcours1.3 mi
Yellow Trail1.2 mi
Red Trail1.1 mi
Blue Trail0.6 mi
Tampa Riverwalk0.5 mi
MacDill Trail0.3 mi
A.L. Palonis Park Nature Trail0.2 mi
Biking & sports
264 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
156 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
71 mi
off-road bike paths
36 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
219Tennis
116Baseball
108Basketball
28Soccer
18Football
13Beach volleyball
13Pickleball
6Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →79 places on the National Register, 4 of them National Historic Landmarks
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 41 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Circulo Cubano de TampaBuilding · listed 1972
About itEl PasajeBuilding · listed 1972
About itYbor Factory BuildingBuilding · listed 1972
About itUnion Railroad StationBuilding · listed 1974
About itFederal Building, U.S. Courthouse, Downtown Postal StationBuilding · listed 1974
About itCentro AsturianoBuilding · listed 1974
About itJohnson-Wolff HouseBuilding · listed 1974
About itStovall HouseBuilding · listed 1974
About it67 more on the History page.
When to get out
April is the best month for walking in Tampa
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.5 | 11.2 | 11.9 | 12.8 | 13.5 | 13.9 | 13.7 | 13.1 | 12.3 | 11.4 | 10.7 | 10.4 |
| High (°F) | 71 | 73 | 77 | 82 | 87 | 90 | 91 | 91 | 89 | 85 | 78 | 73 |
| Rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 7.9 | 8.6 | 9.3 | 6.5 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 2.5 |
November is the driest month (1.7 in) and July the warmest (highs of 91 °F). 9.3 inches fall in August, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 91 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Tampa →
Next door
Tampa and its neighbors
Tampa has the most mapped trails of the 8 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Tampa46 miTown 'n' Country8.4 miLutz6.1 miLake Magdalene4.5 miEast Lake-Orient Park4.3 miTemple Terrace3.4 miPalm River-Clair Mel1.8 miEgypt Lake-Leto0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa | 9% | 0.4 | 14 | 89% | B+ |
| Lutz | 12% | 0.2 | 70 | 46% | B+ |
| Palm River-Clair Mel | 2% | 0.2 | 6 | 73% | C+ |
| Town 'n' Country | 14% | 0.4 | 23 | 85% | A− |
| East Lake-Orient Park | 1% | 0.3 | 16 | 63% | C+ |
| Egypt Lake-Leto | 1% | under 0.1 | 1 | 50% | D |
| Lake Magdalene | 1% | 0.4 | 2 | 41% | C |
| Temple Terrace | 5% | 0.4 | 10 | 90% | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Tampa
Where can I hike in Tampa?
The longest trail networks: Cypress Creek, 2.8 miles; MLK Plaza, 2.2 miles; Al Lopez Park, 1.9 miles; Greek Village, 1.6 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Tampa is conserved land?
9% of its land, against a typical 3% for a Florida town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Tampa’s trails?
Cypress Creek and MLK Plaza don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Tampa?
264 miles of bike routes are on the map: 156 of painted or protected lanes, 71 of off-road paths and 36 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Tampa?
71,558 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Tampa or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 6,281 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Tampa have?
Ahead of 73% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #144 of 638 in Florida. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Tampa neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →