Hillsborough River

The Hillsborough River flows 54 miles from its head waters in the Green Swamp to its mouth in Hillsborough Bay, a portion of Tampa Bay, Florida's largest open water estuary. The watershed extends over parts of three counties, Hillsborough, Pasco, and Polk. From nearly pristine conditions, the river winds its way to Tampa Bay through rural, suburban, and urban settings. For the most part the Hillsborough is what is known as a dark or black water river. The upper 31 miles of the river from Crystal Springs in Pasco County to Riverhills Park in Temple Terrace are an official Florida Canoe Trail. You can put-in at numerous locations along the Hillsborough River and paddling either direction is easy as the current is usually slow.

The most popular routes to paddle on the Hillsborough River are commonly divided into four segments totaling 14 miles one-way. The entire trip requires a complete day of paddling as the Hillsborough is a slow moving river. You can however, paddle sections individually. An entire trip will require leaving a shuttle vehicle at Rotary Park located at Fowler Avenue and Morris Bridge Road. Proceed east for one mile on Fowler Avenue until you reach US 301.