Many of us are looking for ways to be active while also staying socially distanced from others. That’s why Sarah Phinneyis starting a ‘Walking Club’ to highlight some hidden, and some not so hidden, trails across Tampa Bay that are great places for you and your family to check out.
Add Wall Springs Park to your list of places to the visit in the Tampa Bay area. You’ll find a boardwalk surrounding the beautiful spring, as well as great views of Boggy Bayou and the Gulf of Mexico. If you've been to Wall Springs Park in the past, there’s more to see now. An additional 125 acres was added to the existing 84-acre property with the recently opened Wall Springs Park Coastal Addition.
What’s the backstory?
Wall Springs Park is named after Charles F. Wall. He purchased the property in 1884. It stayed in his family until it was sold in 1927. It was used as a health spa and for recreation in the years that followed.
Swimming is no longer allowed in the spring because of dangers to the ecosystem, but visitors can enjoy a boardwalk that surrounds the area. There, you’ll find boards with more historical information and photos.
Pinellas County began acquiring the Wall Springs property in 1988 and continued to obtain surrounding property in the years that followed.
Construction on the Wall Springs Coastal Addition began in spring 2018 and wrapped up earlier this year.
Visitors are trickling in to explore the new area. It, in part, includes a winding paved path leading to observation decks, as well as shell walking paths through the woods.
“We decided to just open it,” said Mike Rink, Pinellas County Chief Park Ranger. “Let people discover it slowly rather than have a big ribbon-cutting and all that.”
How do I get there?
The Wall Springs Park Coastal Addition address is: 621 Wai Lani Road Palm Harbor, FL
A walking and biking path connects the new addition to the original park. If you don’t want to use the path, you’ll need to drive between the two locations.
Put this address in your phone to get to Wall Springs Park: 3725 Desoto Blvd Palm Harbor, FL 34683
Here you’ll find a boardwalk surrounding the spring as well as a 35-foot ADA-accessible observation tower with beautiful views of Boggy Bayou and the Gulf of Mexico.
What else should I know?
At this point, there is not a map that includes both the new addition and original park, but it is pretty self-explanatory. For more information about Wall Springs Park, click here. For more information about the coastal addition, click here.
Let Sarah know if you visit Wall Springs Park and the new Coastal Addition this weekend. If have an idea for a trail that she should feature, you can find her on Facebook, Instagramor Twitter.
