Hillsborough River State Park Visitor Guide

Hillsborough River State Park opens at 8 a.m. and closes at sundown every day of the year, and a carload of up to eight people pays $6.

The fee schedule posted for Hillsborough River State Park sets a lower rate for a lone driver and a per person rate for anyone arriving without a car (Florida State Parks, hours and fees). Last verified: October 14, 2026, on the Florida State Parks website.

A Tampa household that visits state parks often can skip the gate fee with an annual pass: the Individual Annual Entrance Pass costs $60 and the Family Annual Entrance Pass costs $120 and covers up to eight people entering together (Florida State Parks, annual pass). Passes are sold at all park ranger stations and museums, and online orders add a $6 convenience fee and a $10 shipping fee per pass.

Trails at Hillsborough River State Park must be cleared by sundown, so a late afternoon arrival from Tampa leaves little time for the full 7.3 miles of trail (Florida State Parks, experiences and amenities).

Hillsborough River State Park is at 15402 U.S. 301 North in Thonotosassa, FL 33592, northeast of Tampa, and the park office answers at 813-688-9500.

Florida State Parks describes the park as just minutes from downtown Tampa and lists the U.S. 301 address for both the main park and Fort Foster State Historic Site (Florida State Parks, Hillsborough River State Park). U.S. 301 North is the only approach named on the official page, and the official page links driving directions from that address.

Fort Foster sits on the east side of U.S. 301, across the highway from the main park, which matters for anyone planning to walk between them (Florida State Parks, Fort Foster). Inside the park, several parking lots line the park drive (experiences and amenities), and the Fort Foster page says its interpretive center is reached from parking lot 1.

Hillsborough County runs Wilderness Parks along the river in cooperation with the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve covers 16,000 acres of preserved land, over 60 miles of trails and 13 miles of the Hillsborough River, and its primary purpose is to store and supply water that could otherwise flood surrounding areas (Hillsborough County, Wilderness Parks). Dead River Conservation Park, at 15098 Dead River Rd. in Thonotosassa, is open to pedestrians and bicycles only, and the Old Fort King Trail runs from it into Hillsborough River State Park.

Hillsborough River State Park reopened on Feb. 24, 2025, but the cafe, the recreation hall, several campsites, two pavilions, the Seminole trail and portions of the Rapids Trail were still listed as closed on October 14, 2026.

The reopening notice on the Hillsborough River State Park page asks visitors to follow posted signs and stay out of closed areas, and it has not been replaced by a newer list in the 20 months since the reopening (Florida State Parks, park alerts). A second notice, effective Aug. 4, 2026, sets a temporary schedule for the canoe, kayak and bicycle concession: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday, with the last launch an hour before close.

The same Aug. 4 notice also says rentals are closed Tuesday and Wednesday, which conflicts with its own Monday through Thursday hours. Until the notice is corrected, a call to 813-688-9500 before a Tuesday or Wednesday trip to Hillsborough River State Park is the only way to confirm whether rentals are open.

Water is the other variable. About 25 percent of Hillsborough River State Park is lowland prone to seasonal flooding, and spring and summer rains can put trails under water with little warning (Florida State Parks, trails). The amenities page gives two numbers for trail conditions, 813-688-9500 in one listing and 813-987-6771 in another; the first matches the main park contact line.

The Class II rapids on the Hillsborough River, which Florida State Parks calls rare in Florida, are the feature the park was established around, and visitors can stroll along them inside the Thonotosassa park.

The Civilian Conservation Corps set aside the land around the rapids as a public park in the 1930s, and the suspension bridge over the Hillsborough River is one of its rustic-style structures (Florida State Parks, history). The river itself carries the name of the Earl of Hillsborough, the British Colonial Secretary, given in the late 1700s.

Hillsborough River State Park has three canoe and kayak launches into the river. Boats can be rented from the park concessionaire, and visitors may launch their own canoe or kayak (experiences and amenities). Bass, bream and catfish are the fish most often seen, and a fishing license may be required.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission exempts youth under 16 and Florida residents 65 or older with proof of age or residency from the freshwater fishing license requirement (FWC, license exemptions). FWC lists a few narrower exemptions on the same page, so other anglers on the Hillsborough River should check it before fishing.

Paddlers on the Hillsborough River also use Hillsborough County land. John B. Sargeant Conservation Park, at 12702 U.S. Hwy. 301 N. in Thonotosassa, is best known for boating access to the Hillsborough River State Canoe Trail, and the county charges $2 per vehicle, a $5 boat launch fee and $25 to rent a canoe or kayak at applicable sites (Hillsborough County, Wilderness Parks). Swimming is not allowed in those county Wilderness Parks.

Hillsborough River State Park has a 112-site campground for RVs and tents, with electric on most sites, and reservations open up to 11 months ahead through Florida State Parks at 800-326-3521.

Each site at the Hillsborough River campground has water, a fire ring and a picnic table, and each loop has restrooms with hot showers and laundry; a dump station serves the campground and the maximum RV length is 50 feet (Florida State Parks, campground). Hammocks are allowed only at certain sites: 41, 61, 110 and 111 allow one each, and 68 and 70 allow two each, on straps at least 1 inch wide around trees at least 12 inches in diameter.

The nightly base rate at Hillsborough River State Park is $24 plus tax, and Florida residents 65 or older, or holding a qualifying Social Security or federal 100 percent disability award certificate, receive 50 percent off the base campsite fee, though not the reservation or utility fees (hours and fees).

Scout troops and other organized groups use the primitive group camp, which holds up to 60 people across four wooded sites with water, grills and cold showers but no electricity. Groups book it by calling the park up to 60 days in advance, youth groups get priority, and pets are not allowed in that area (experiences and amenities). Elsewhere in Hillsborough River State Park, pets must be on a leash no longer than six feet.

Four hiking trails totaling 7.3 miles run through hydric hammock along the Hillsborough River, and Fort Foster State Historic Site across U.S. 301 recreates an 1836 Second Seminole War post.

The Wetlands Trail at Hillsborough River State Park begins in pine flatwoods and forks, letting hikers continue on the Wetlands Trail or switch to the Fort King Trail (Florida State Parks, trails). Cyclists may ride the 1.6-mile Wetlands Restoration Nature Trail and the 2.2-mile park loop, and Florida law requires helmets for riders 16 and under. A horseback route along Model Dairy Road into the adjacent county park and back runs about 5 miles.

Fort Foster is a reproduction of the fort that Col. William S. Foster and his 430 men built on the same ground in December 1836 to guard the Hillsborough River bridge crossing and resupply troops in the field (Florida State Parks, Fort Foster). The post was garrisoned on and off from December 1836 through April 1838.

Fort Foster is not open every day: it opens for guided tours and special events, including Fort Foster Rendezvous in January and the Candlelight Experience at Fort Foster in December. The interpretive center at parking lot 1 inside Hillsborough River State Park shows over 100 artifacts found at the fort site and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Park staff hold Saturday evening programs at the Hillsborough River State Park campfire circle, and the ranger station has the next scheduled topic and meeting time (experiences and amenities).