Brooker Creek Preserve

This preserve is absolutely stunning. Accessing the lot that leads to adventure is fairly easy. The educational center is right where the trailheads are, so that also has easy access.
We hiked part of the Wilderness Trail, but eventually were thwarted by water on the trail. In fact, I highly recommend hiking boots or sneakers at this preserve. We also hiked part of the Flatwoods Trail.
I’m excited to back and try to finish it. But to do so, I think I’ll just have to trudge through the water!

I went to a guided night hike here a few months ago. Wonderful! We weren’t allowed to have flashlights or devices turned on. We allowed our eyes to adjust to the lighting. We learned about nocturnal animals and the differences in the rods and cones in their eyes. The guide was great. He did many exercises with us to help us understand how the eyes work in different lighting scenarios. We stopped at one point and did a small lesson on astronomy. It was a great experience. I went alone. It would have been great to take children to.

Great place. Free to come in and roam. It lets you get a taste of how Florida was before it was civilized. It is very relaxing and has information along the boardwalk.

This place could be great. Very wet on the lower part. Staff should add drainage rocks/​soil. Staff should also stay off trails with 4 wheelers when trails are muddy.

A wonderful Tampa gem this wilderness area is chock full of wildlife and habitats. There are also classroom and exhibition spaces as well as informational signage. Great place for a hike. Keep an eye out for armadillos, butterflies, birds, ferns, and other nature gifts.

This is one of the prettiest places to put your children in the stroller and take them for a walk. Gorgeous on a beautiful Fall day in Florida. Love!

I really enjoyed myself.
All the guides & employees are passionate about preserving wildlife & the ecosystem.
They offer a wide variety of guided hikes & tours of the preserve.
I didn’t see any, but Brooker Creek is home to otters & coyotes, which is really cool considering I have never seen either in Florida.
Look on their website & sign up for a hike. You won’t regret. You will learn a lot & have a good time.

I’ve mixed feelings about reviewing the Preserve.
I really don’t want a bunch of you showing up when I’m having wonderful quiet zen time with an amazing variety of nature’s quiet wonders.
But when you need to get some nature in your diet, this is local and fabulous. The other reviewers list a lot of good reasons to go, but I’ll add one more: it’s quiet — once you get on the trails the only disturbance is when a plane flies over.
Don’t forget to leave some useful money in the donation jar!

Wonderful park! easy hiking trail. Amazing how many different topographies you walk through. Saw lots of birds. Highly recommend for a half day activity! Lunch in Tarpon Springs

I recommend the education center trail when you have kids. It’s sort and fun. It has a boardwalk area in upland right area is also a bird path of on the side it’s only 0.7 miles.

This is a great Florida nature lovers place.

I discovered Brooker Creek Preserve this year while searching for trails to run. I can’t believe this place has been here for so long and I never stopped in.
They have a great loop trail system for the novice to moderate hiker. The longest trail is 4 miles.
The trails are well marked, but if you’re running, pay closer attention to the blazes and signage. I once got caught up in runners daze and went off onto one of the «staff only» trails. It was easy enough to find my way back but just a word of caution.
They have a very in depth education center that covers a range of eco-​subjects. When I first went inside, I was completely surprised because I didn’t expect it to be so well designed and comprehensive. I highly recommend checking it out. If you have kids… bring them. If you don’t have kids, check it out anyway. One of the highlights for me is the human sized gopher tortoise burrow. You can crawl inside it… and I did… and it was awesome. I was the only person there except for the elderly volunteers. I’m pretty sure they had their finger ready to press the panic button.
You’re almost guaranteed to see wildlife at the preserve. I don’t think you can come here and not see something cool. I’ve seen deer, armadillo, turkey, a bunch of gopher tortoise and a gator.
Brooker Creek Preserve is a must-​do for anyone who has an interest in nature and the outdoors.

Great walking trails and stunningly clean restrooms. The trails are well maintained and marked, but there is a very high tendency for a lot of the trails to get completely flooded to make it impossible to walk on them. The major Wilderness Trail was closed when we got there due to flooding and it hasn’t rained hard here for weeks! I like the trails here b/​c they are very wide enough for 2 people to walk side-​by side. The amazing thing is you WILL see deer, turtles and snakes. We mostly saw them on the drive in the park, but not on the actual trail.
WARNING: PAY ATTENTION TO THE CLOSING TIME! If you are still parked or walking on the trails when it hits closing time, THEY WILL TICKET YOU! I sh*t you not. The park closed at 4:30 when we went this past Saturday. A cop literally escorted us out at 4:45. He went back to sit and wait for the other people to return to their cars. These people are friggin serious about their closing time.

One of Tarpon Springs’ hidden treasures. A great place to take the kids on a short hike, most of which is boardwalk, so you can even use a stroller. I haven’t had the opportunity to try any of the longer hikes, but they do offer guided hikes weekly.
They also have a ton of educational events and they are all almost free. You can register on their website now, which is so much more convienent.
The exhibits are all interesting and fun. I can’t go there without watching the 5 minute movie.

Geocaching has taken me to many parks, preserves, forests, etc. over the years. I have seen good ones and poor ones. Brooker Creek is among the best I have been to.
It appears to be a new park. The boardwalk to the educational center was superb! There are informative signs and a neat arch near the center.
We didn’t expect to spend much time in the center, but when we saw the exhibits, there was no doubt we were going to hang there. There is an area for young ones to learn about nature. My six-​year old enjoyed coloring, looking at the rat snake, and otherwise engaging in the materials there.
We then went through the exhibits. It was wonderful! There were lots of animals, habitats, and watershed activities. We learned about runoff, what animals come in what seasons, and other neat things. Everything was fresh, durable, and interesting. There was even a dramatic play area our children played in.
Then we hit the trails. There are several at Brooker Creek. We did not hike them all, but enjoyed two. They are well-​maintained, full of informational signs, and beautiful. We could not have asked for a better experience.
Treat yourself to a wonderful natural area. Bring lots of water as it is hot out there.

Alligators, rattlesnakes, armadillos… OH MY!!!
Four walking trails to choose from 0.7miles (30 mins.) — 4miles (3.5 hours) your swamp adventure will be… adventurous.
We decided to take the shortest trail and ran into an alligator the size of a pair of boots and a handbag (with matching wallet), sunbathing about 10 yards from us. A few feet from there we heard something rustling in the bushes and there we found an armadillo. Seconds later an egret decides to soak up some rays. Then on our way out we almost ran over a rattlesnake the size of my mans’…foot. Tiny little sucker, but with a big poisonous bite.
Water, long pants, good hiking shoes, and a rifle are recommended.