A 400-acre Pinellas County preserve tucked behind the neighborhoods off 25th Street North in St. Petersburg, holding one of the largest maple swamps on the Gulf Coast. Free, opens at 7 AM, a short carry to a shaded table, and a consistent performer on 20 m — one of the most dependable activations in Tampa Bay.
At a glance
Entry
Free
Hours
Open 7 days a week from 7:00 a.m. until sunset. A clock...
Listed by
Pinellas County
, checked
August 2026.
Not verified on site. This is only what affects operating —
see the park’s own page for everything else.
The lot sits close enough to the operating areas that a full portable kit makes it in one trip. No second run back to the car.
Hours
Open 7 days a week from 7:00 a.m. until sunset. A clock display at the entrance shows the day's sunset and closing time. Closed the day after Thanksgiving and on Christmas Day.
Access
Managed by Pinellas County. Admission is free. A mile of elevated boardwalk runs through the swamp, with an observation tower over the lake.
Setting up
Where to operate
Three positions have worked. Open picnic tables in the clear. The pavilion, which gives a flat surface and shade from the morning sun — the county lists it as a picnic shelter with a grill. And a hill with a table at its base, which lets you put the antenna up the slope and run coax down to the operating spot, useful if you want separation between the two. Restrooms are at the visitor center.
Noise floor
A nearby power station produces a constant crackling noise, recorded across a full session on 21 May 2026. It was steady rather than intermittent and did not stop the activation, but it varies with where you set up — if you hear it, move further from the power station side of the park.
Antennas
Ground here is friendly to a vertical. A Radioddity HF-010 matched at 1.02-1.06 SWR on 20 m across multiple visits with no ATU adjustment needed. A JPC-12 18.3 ft vertical with eight 17 ft radials also performed well. On 40 m the same HF-010 showed 1.56.
Before you go
Conditions to plan for
Alligators are present. Benches and tables stay soaked after overnight rain — a small tarp for the seat is worth carrying. Summer storm cells build fast here and give little warning; have a teardown plan if you are set up in the open.
