Flatwoods Park
***Scroll down to see many photos and maps.
The main entrance to Flatwoods Wilderness Park is on Morris Bridge Road; however, Run Tampa meets and runs from the 18205 Bruce B. Downs entrance.
The park opens, officially, at 7:00, and that’s when Run Tampa meets, but the gate is generally open by 6:45, allowing time to pay to park.
Routes/Trails
Flatwoods offers three trail options, paved, off road, but not in the woods, along the paved trail, and off-road single track trails through the woods.
Paved: Pictured above is the trail segment between the Bruce B Downs parking lot and 4 Corners Kiosk where the entrance trail meets the 7-mile loop. The entrance trail is 2 miles; so, from parking lot to loop, around loop and back is 11 miles, but it’s easy to do any distance and just turn around. Please be sure to run counter clockwise while on the pavement. If you turn around, run alongside the trail.
Unpaved: Five miles of the beautiful Main trail, meander through the middle of the paved loop. These trails can be accessed from the paved loop. The Main crosses the paved trail, where it comes from Trout Creek Park at about one mile from the Four Corners Kiosk. You will see the entrances to Panther and Squiggy, two beautiful off road, single-track trails near the aluminum bridge on the entrance road from Bruce B Downs. Panther connects to The Main, and Squiggy will take you to the berm. See the maps below.
Flatwoods is one of five connected parks in the northeast part of the County, known as the Wilderness Parks. Flatwoods Park stretches from Bruce B. Downs on the west to Morris Bridge Road on the east and abuts Trout Creek Park on the south.
Hours: fall/winter 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.; spring/summer 7 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Restrooms: at both entrances
Fee: $2, credit card or cash
Water: Four water kiosks on paved trail and at each trail head; none on single-track trails or berm.
The Loop: A 7-mile paved loop is connected to parking lots on the west side at Bruce B. Downs and on the east side, at Morris Bridge Road by paved entrance trails. Morris Bridge is considered the main entrance. Motorized vehicles are not permitted beyond the parking lots at each entrance, meaning it’s not possible to drive ‘in the park’ to get from one entrance to the other.
The Berm: An elevated limestone trail (no roots), known as the ‘berm,’ runs from Trout Creek Park (12550 Morris Bridge Rd), north, 4.6 miles, to the Flatwoods entrance trail, a great option for getting off road while avoiding roots, but there is no shade and no water.
Wooded Off-Road Trails: Five miles of off-road trails traverse the middle of the paved Flatwoods loop. Known as the Main Trail, it is well marked. From the loop, it continues in both directions across the paved trail and connects with Morris Bridge Biking Area (across Morris Bridge Rd from Trout Creek Park), connecting all the parks for a scenic 14-mile loop. There are other single-track trails as well.
Water/flooding: During the rainy season, the paved loop often floods in two locations. Check with the ranger. Still, it’s often possible to run all or most of the loop, as there is an aluminum bridge to get you past the water at the BBD side.
Clay Gulley often floods, but it’s possible to do the rest of the loop and turn around or wade through.
The off-road trails tend to stay mostly flooded most of the summer.
***Croom and Lake Rogers Park are both good alternatives for trail running because they seldom flood, even in summer.
Run Tampa Group Runs: Always check the Group Runs Schedule for details, but the club normally meets in the parking lot at the Bruce B Downs entrance where it’s easy to reach all the paved and unpaved trail options.
Nearby restaurants: Panera, First Watch
***Click on any photo to enlarge.***
