McKay Bay Nature Park facts for kids

McKay Bay Nature Park is a special place in Tampa, Florida. It's a 38-acre park found at 134 North 34th Street. This park and its nature trails lead to McKay Bay. McKay Bay is a safe home for many birds, like a bird sanctuary. It's also part of the Great Florida Birding Trail, a famous route for bird watchers.

Exploring McKay Bay Nature Park

This park offers many ways to enjoy nature. You can find a boardwalk trail that is about 0.17 miles long. It goes through mangrove trees and muddy areas called mudflats. There is also a tall observation tower. This tower is a great spot to look out and learn about the park. It can also be used as an education center.

Trails and Activities

Besides the boardwalk, the park has other trails. There's a paved multi-use trail that is 1.25 miles long. You can walk, run, or bike on it. There's also a shorter nature trail, about 0.5 miles long. If you want to relax, there are picnic tables available. Signs around the park help you learn about the plants and animals. Please note, the boardwalk has been closed since 2015.

Wildlife You Might See

McKay Bay Nature Park is part of a bigger area called the McKay Bay Preserve. This preserve is 62 acres in size. Many types of wading birds come here to find food. This is especially true during the winter months. You can use special spotting scopes to see the birds up close. These scopes are at the observation tower on the east side. There's also a bird-viewing station on the west side of the park.

McKay Bay Greenway Project

The entire McKay Bay Park and Greenway area is very large. It covers about 200 acres. This preserved land is managed by a team. The City of Tampa, Hillsborough County, and the Southwest Florida Water Management District all work together.

How the Land Was Protected

Some of the land was bought in 1990. This was done using the Hillsborough County ELAP Program. ELAP stands for Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program. It helps protect important natural areas. A smaller piece of land near the Palm River was bought later in 2000. This purchase was made by ELAPP and the State of Florida Greenways and Trails Program. A large part of the land along the southeast shore belongs to the Southwest Florida Water Management District. This area is used for placing extra soil from the Tampa Bypass Canal.