Tampa definitely is an urban area. There is no doubt about that. But the Upper Tampa Bay Trail is actually a decent greenway that is available to residents and visitors alike.

Upper Tampa Bay Trail

This is part 1, the lower part of the Trail:

This is part 2, the upper part:

 

How to Get There

Being an urban trail, there are a lot of options for getting to the Upper Tampa Bay trail (both paid and free). Unfortunately, they still have not completed the entire trail so as of this writing it is basically two separate trails.

Upper Tampa Bay Trail Main Section

If you want to start at the southernmost point of the trail, make your way to the Memorial trailhead.Ehrlich road is another option if you want to enter in the middle of the trail. The main part of the trail ends at Peterson Road Park.

Upper Tampa Bay Trail North Extension

The northern extension can be picked up at Keystone park just north of Van Dyke Road, the Lutz Lake Fern Trailhead and ends at the Suncoast Trail.

Here is the list of trailheads courtesy the Hillsborough county web site:

Trailheads and Access south to north:

  •  Memorial Trailhead:  7499 Montague Street
    • Cold water and parking
    • Directions: Take Hillsborough Ave. west past the airport, Memorial Highway and Sheldon Road. Turn right on Montague Street.  Follow Montague to the trailhead a short distance on the right.
  • Channel Park Trailhead:  9201 W. Waters Avenue
    • Restrooms, parking, water and drink machines
    • Directions: Hillsborough Ave. West to Sheldon Road. Turn Right (north) onto Sheldon Road to Waters Ave. Turn left (west) onto Waters Ave. The trailhead is a very short distance on the right. 
  • Wilsky Boulevard Trailhead:   10314 Wilsky Blvd. 
    • Parking, cold water and restrooms
    • Directions: From Tampa, take Waters Ave west to Hanley Ave. Head north on Hanley Ave, Hanley becomes Wilsky Blvd at Linebaugh. Cross Linebaugh, the trailhead is on the left/west side of Wilsky Blvd., before the on ramp to the Veterans Expressway. 
  • Ehrlich Road 
    • Parking, water, map
    • Directions: From Tampa, take Ehrlich Road west toward Gunn Highway. The trail parking area is just east of Gunn Highway, south of Ehrlich, and adjacent to an old house.   It is not directly on the trail and could be easily missed. The trail is two houses to the west, just before the intersection, next to Bally Hoo Restaurant. The water cooler and map are just south of the parking along the trail. 
  • Peterson Park:  8203 Peterson Road and Rails Road
    • Parking, restrooms
    • Directions: From Tampa take Gunn Highway north. Peterson Road is a mile north of the Gunn Highway/Sheldon Rd intersection at Sickles High School. Turn right onto Peterson Road. The park and the northern terminus of the trail are located ½ mile on the left.
  • Lutz Lake Fern Trailhead:  7020 Lutz Lake Fern Road
    • Parking, restrooms
    • Directions:   On the south side of Lutz Lake Fern Road east of Gunn Highway and west of the Veterans Expressway.

What to Do at the Upper Tampa Bay Trail

The Upper Tampa Bay trail is definitely oriented to biking and walking. It is completely paved and well-maintained. The asphalt may be a bit too rough for rollerblades, but we did see people doing it!