Lake Rogers Park is a park and preserve with a trail in

Odessa, Florida Odessa is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pasco County, Florida, United States. The population was 3,173 at the United States Census, 2000, 2000 census and more than doubled to 7,267 in 2010 United States Census, 2010. Northwest of Tampa, Flori ...

Nature

The area includes pine

flatwoods Flatwoods, pineywoods, pine savannas and longleaf pine-wiregrass ecosystem are terms that refer to an ecological community in the southeastern coastal plain of North America. Flatwoods are an ecosystem maintained by wildfire or prescribed fire an ...

and oak hammocks. The trail beds include sand, grass, dirt, and leaf litter. The park is accessible from a parking area at 9010 North Mobley Road, west of Gunn Highway. There are areas for fishing (including catfish and catch-and-release for bass) and areas for canoe/ kayak launching. An offshoot trail leads to an overlook on neighboring Raleigh Lake. The lakes provide a foraging habitat for wading birds, bald eagles, and

osprey The osprey (''Pandion haliaetus''), , also called sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor reaching more than in length and across the wings. It is brown o ...

. Other animals include raccoons, opossum, and otter.

Features

There are several benches, picnic areas, grills, side trails, and a nature trail. Signage highlights some of the plant and animal inhabitants. The main trail is the Red Trail, which encircles the lake most closely. Side trails include the Blue Trail, which also encircles the lake but less closely, and the Green Trail, which goes for approximately a mile on the northern and eastern boundaries of the park before connecting back to the other trails.

History

In 1987 the City of St. Petersburg leased the land to Hillsborough County for "passive natural resource-based recreation". However, the park did not open until 1999, when the Hillsborough County Commissioners provided the park with an operating budget. The official opening was in March 2000.Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation Department flier

Parking

As of 2020, there is a charge of $2 per vehicle. If attendant is unavailable, machines will take cash or credit.

References

{{Reflist Parks in Hillsborough County, Florida 1999 establishments in Florida Protected areas established in 1999