John Chesnut Sr. Park is home to various wildlife including raccoons, alligators, various waterfowl, hawks, vultures, tortoises/turtles, and more. This provides many pleasant hours for nature enthusiasts and families.
Lake Tarpon, immediately adjacent, is five miles long and one mile wide, generally 8-12 feet deep. Lake Tarpon can accommodate boats with combustion engines. Additionally, the canoe trail is a landlocked waterway connected to an interior lake. It will only accommodate non-combustion engines.
For those who prefer sports, the John Chesnut Sr. Park has a softball field—bring your own equipment. There are three nature trails, each approximately 3,000 feet in length. The North Trail begins at Shelter #10, running through a cypress swamp to the canoe trail—it does not loop back. The Peggy Park Trail features a self-guided nature trail. The elevated boardwalk runs along the boat ramp, leading to an elevated lookout tower for a scenic overview of Lake Tarpon. Swimming is prohibited inside the park.
John Chesut Sr. Park was built in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It covers approximately 255 acres and is conveniently located near communities of Palm Harbor and Tarpon Springs, serving north Pinellas County. The park in located at 2200 East Lake Road
Palm Harbor, FL 34685
History about the John Chesnut Senior Park:
The John Chestnut Park was named after John Chesnut, Sr. who was a Pinellas County Commissioner from 1937 until 1953. He was also the organizer of the Pinellas County Park Board. Mr. Chesnut worked tirelessly to make access to county parks easy for residents. In addition to parks, Mr. Chestnut worked to build the Belleair Beach Causeway and the first Sunshine Skyway Bridge. He also worked to make possible the Gulf Beaches water system. His son, John Chesnut Jr., also served on the Board of County Commissioners from 1976 until 1992.
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To see a small gallery of pictures taken by Heather Miller for Destination Tampa Bay click here. If you enjoy going to area parks look at this story where you can have a meet-up. Or for another great park in Hillsborough check out this story on Dead River Road.