Fort Desoto County Park | St. Pete Beach at BeachHunter.net |
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Fort Desoto County Park | Saint Petersburg, Florida
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Fort Desoto is a Pinellas County Park located at the mouth of Tampa Bay in Saint Petersburg, Florida. The park is very close to St. Pete Beach and offers boating, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, bicycling, skating, running, nature trails, historical fort, fishing piers, doggy beach, shelling, birding, camping, and swimming. This park was voted by Dr. Leatherman (aka Dr. Beach) as the number one beach in the nation in 2005. It certainly lives up to this in most areas. However, swimming is not recommended in many areas of the park. Most beaches in the park have signs posted warning against swimming because of strong water currents. There are two designated swim areas. One, is at East beach where lifeguards are present during certain hours. The other is at North Beach in a shallow, protected lagoon, and in the Gulf just past the lagoon. Swimming in the Gulf at north beach is excellent. The water is clean and calm and shallow. Lifeguards are present during certain hours. I think this small shortcoming is compensated for by the rest of the activities available at the park. There is no entrance fee, but toll roads provide access to Fort Desoto County Park.
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Helpful links: www.fortdesoto.com - A great informational website put together by Friends of Fort Desoto. Fort Desoto Official Website - the Pinellas County website for Fort Desoto. Google Map of Fort Desoto Park with features labeled (takes you to my website on St Pete Beach). Kayaking Fort Desoto - We spent half a day kayaking in the park and had a GREAT time. Why not come to the park and rent a kayak and enjoy Florida nature? Click the link to read about our trip, see some of the photos I took. Tampa Bay Ferry of Hubbard's Marina on St. Pete Beach leaves from Fort Desoto. This is the ferry I've used to get to Egmont Key from Fort Desoto Park. Visit their website at: http://www.hubbardsmarina.com/egmont.html. For recorded information with lots of details, call 727-393-1947 or Toll Free 1-800-755-0677. This is the least expensive way to get to Egmont. |
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Partridge Pea flowers (Cassia fasciculata) Even on a 92 degree day in May, during an extended period without rain, flowers will brighten your day. Here is a most beautiful roadside display of bright yellow flowers on a dry crusty roadside. I wonder how many people speeding by in their SUV's actually noticed them? |
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Sunrise is a quiet and tranquil time at Fort Desoto County Park, at the mouth of Tampa Bay. |
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Fort Desoto Park in Saint Petersburg, Florida offers a great view of Tampa Bay and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. |
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Late afternoon on East Beach. |
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Picnic pavilion at East Beach. Florida park architecture at its finest. |
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There are plenty of picnic tables in this Saint Petersburg, Florida beach park. |
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The native Florida cabbage palm is the dominant tree at East Beach. Ft. Desoto Park is generous in allocating acreage to picnic areas. |
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Just north of East Beach is the bay pier, very popular with fishermen and sightseers. |
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Dolphins are a common sight from the bay pier. On this particular day there were at least a dozen playing around the pier. |
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North of bay pier is a hiking trail. Here a hiker cools off in the breeze coming off Tampa Bay on a hot spring afternoon. |
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Huge ships pass through the channel on their way to the Port of Tampa. Ft. Desoto affords a great view of the cruise ships and cargo ships as they come and go, and pass under the Skyway Bridge. |
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A wide bike/jogging/skating path runs the length of Fort Desoto Park. |
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The Park rents bicycles of various configurations to help you enjoy the islands. Prices are from $10 to $25 per hour, depending on the type and size. |
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The Gulf pier extends more than 1,000 feet into the Gulf and is always full of fishermen, birds, and sightseers. Egmont Key can be seen in the distance. |
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A close-up of the Gulf Pier. See more photos of the Fort Desoto Fishing Pier here. |
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Looking toward the North Beach area from atop the fort. While this is a very scenic beach and is never really crowded, it is not a designated swim beach. In fact there are signs posted prohibiting swimming because of strong currents (see below photo). However, you will find people swimming here with their children. For the best swimming area, go up to north beach where the swimming is excellent and there is a lifeguard during certain hours. |
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My only real dislike about Fort Desoto is that it is located in the mouth of Tampa Bay where strong currents make swimming risky on most park beaches. Signs, like the ones in this photo warn swimmers to swim only at designated beaches. However, some people still swim here as the water is quite shallow and does not generally appear to have a strong current. |
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Parts of the Gulf beach have some beautiful sea oats. The beach is very wide and could accommodate a lot of people. |
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Further north on the Gulf beach, erosion is a problem. The forest comes right down to the beach, and the waves are gradually undermining some of the trees. |
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Late afternoon at North Beach. The Gulf beach is to the left. |
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The North Beach swim area also has facilities and picnic pavilions. |
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The North Beach designated swim area. This is the shallow lagoon where kids often play. However it is not the only swim area at north beach. The Gulf beach, just to the right of this photo is very safe for swimming and also has a lifeguard during posted hours. This is the best beach in the park for swimming. |
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The North Beach area also has some outstanding shaded waterfront picnic areas. You will have to get here early on a weekend or holiday to get the best tables. Never leave your food unattended, even during the day. The birds and the raccoons will clean you out. The raccoons even know how to open your cooler. |
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There are many quiet backwaters in the park that are closed to boats with motors. You can bring your own canoe or kayak or rent one in the park. The Park also has a fine campground, but it can be difficult to get a reservation. Reserve far in advance. Like a year. |
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The Sunshine Skyway Bridge spans Tampa Bay, allowing people to drive from Bradenton to St. Petersburg without driving all the way around the bay through Tampa.. |
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| The St. Pete Beaches are located 10 minutes from Fort Desoto park, so it's just a short drive to Pass A Grille, St. Pete Beach, Treasure Island, Madeira Beach, Indian Rocks Beach and all the rest. Downtown Saint Petersburg is 15 to 20 minutes away by car. |
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Saint Pete Beach | Fort Desoto County Park