Cockroach Bay Nature Preserve | Ruskin
Cockroach Bay Nature Preserve had us in a sweat. The panoramic views from the crest of the prominent hill made it worthwhile, though I regret opting for foot trails over kayaking through the mangroves. And why did I drag my wife out for a high noon hike without shade? Flowers. Pretty flowers.
Even so, the experience left me wanting more.
I wanted to visit Cockroach Bay for a hike
Cockroach Bay was had been in my radar since it was suggested by a county employee last month. The preserve was a great place to see seasonal wildflowers and migratory birds now that fall had fallen.
At least, that is what I thought he said. Given that I tend to forget or mix up what I hear, he could have been referring to a different park entirely.
Christa agreed to my soft sell
Mistaken beliefs aside, Christa took to my suggestion with surprising willingness. The outdoors were as hot as Hades’ nethers and just as humid. Given her love of hiking is only notches above her love of humid heat, I was expecting protests.
Perhaps it was my mention of nifty birds and buds that won her over. I quickly slipped in a caveat that I could be mistaken about the time and place regarding the seasonal sights. She agreed even moreso.
Am I on television?
I made the preparations
So, despite little planning and no assurances of fun, I packed some bug spray, sunscreen and lots of water and my camera. We hopped into the sporty little runabout and hit the Tamiami trail south for Cockroach Bay Nature Preserve.
And I made a mental note that we would be passing The Dog House there and back. We’re getting hot dogs.
We hit the road south
It’s important to note that there are two preserves at Cockroach Bay. One is the Hillsborough County site and the other is the Cockroach Bay Preserve State Park.
I struck out for the county plot as it was a county employee that (maybe) dropped the name. Good thing because it turns out the State Park are islands accessible only by private watercraft.
Yay poor planning!
Cockroach bay Nature Preserve
3839 Gulf City Rd.
Ruskin, FL 33570
Phone: (813) 671-7754
Hours: Sunrise to Sunset
Fee: Free
http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/en/locations/cockroach-bay-preserve
We arrived at Cockroach Bay Nature Preserve
The pockmarked granite led us to the parking lot of the Cockroach Bay Nature Preserve. Loaded for the light hike, I went to sync up with the map under glass. It pretty much matched my screenshot from the county page.
Our view from the lot was of oak hammocks and grassy meadow with a Florida mountain of a relative molehill rising it’s little heart out against the azure sky. Other than the manufactured gyp stacks, this may be the highest point I’ve witnessed in the State.
Up the mainland uplands
I said it would be hot, but man did that sun swelter the skin. Where we struck out on the Red trail the meadow-like uplands were all grasses and asters. Common tickseed and beggars tick polka-dotted the trail walls. Hammocks and lone sentinels of pines and oaks projected from the wild growth in the background.
The Blockhouse
We presently encountered another kiosk with an entirely different set of trails mapped under glass. What the dilly, yo? Why didn’t these come up on my internet search? I snapped pics for future use on a solo jaunt.
We continued and shortly met a disused blockhouse whose vibrant murals magnified it against from the surrounding wilderness. Though in the right light it is absorbed into the shadows.
This spot marked the fork with one path leading up and over Mount Cockroach—if that is your real name—which we took, marking my steepest climb since living in the State. Ah, elevation. It’s good to see you, old friend.
Ascent Up Mount Cockroach
The rising trail was all shells, gravel, and burs under the roasting sun. The climb was steep and short enough that the lowlands popped into view by the acre with literally every step. Quickly the entire region was revealed in all its restored beauty.
From the observation point, we had sweeping views of the restored uplands, the restored shell pit ponds, as well as the distant gray spires of Tampa, St. Petersburgh, and Sarasota.
A cargo ship seemed to glide over the mangrove canopy, reminding me of my youth along the C&D Canal.
Butterflies flitted about the beggar’s ticks and birds were heard but not seen. Grunts, croaks, and shrieks were evident from the mangroves and rock ponds below us.
A few gliding raptors were silhouetted against the cotton batting to our north and east. But on the western horizon, a roiling and rising tower of vapor was beginning to show signs of life.
Down along the mangroves
The trail descended the hill to meet a blind spur that bordered the braided tidal creek. I left Christa behind so that I could quickly shoot around the bend and see if anything interesting lie in store.
The spur banked to the left around the creek with a strip of mixed veg between it and the mangrove arbored bank. I could just see glimpses of blue sky in the water through the thicket of thin trunks. Finally, something new appeared to my eyes, not in the water, but in the verge. A cucumber-like blossom or fruit.
Unwise Pokings
As I poked around the trailside, I heard large things splashing in the water beyond the dense screen of black mangroves but saw nothing. Whereas It could have been a turtle or a heron, it could also be a gator, I guess. Gators in brackish water? Maybe crocodiles.
I forgot about crocodiles.
Or maybe there were venomous snakes in these tall weeds I suddenly realized I was trodding through. And me without my trekking poles to bushwack. I backed onto the trail and returned to a steaming wife. She was patient, but red from the sun. We continued on as I picked burs and seeds from my clothes and ankles.
Where the Red Meets the Blue
We continued along until coming to a wide fork with the option of calling it a day and returning via the red trail to the parking lot or extending the trek via the blue trail. The map indicated we could add maybe another thirty minutes to the hike and since we had only just begun, I opted for the latter, Christa gracefully acquiesced.
The extended length would bring the excursion to around an hour plus random laggings. Which, despite not making for a particularly rewarding hike, in this heat and sparse showing of wildlife or remarkable flowers, it would be good enough.
The Blue trail has a larger loop beyond the next fork, but we decided to take only the short leg between markers 2, 3, and 1. We had plenty of time, but the day had plenty of heat. Outgunned, we opted to settle for a short hike with the reward of hot dogs soon to come.
Our Continued Hunt for Flowers and Feathered Things
Those critters and wildflowers had to be somewhere. I must have misremembered what the ranger had told me. Somehow I mixed information. Perhaps he was suggesting sights only viewable by boat. Or maybe he meant a different park entirely.
All Asters and Grasses
Along the blue blazed jughandle, the meadow turned to hammocks. There were hardwoods to the left of us, slash pines to the right and sabal palms here and there. The wiry weeds of yellow and white petals shared time with some red blossoms of wild bushbean. Tweets and whistles could be heard from the nearby canopies, but only little flycatchers were seen.
Back to the Car
The Blue trail made its last turn to rejoin the Red and we soon found ourselves in the parking lot sweating, swatting, and scratching. It was a short and relatively less fruitful hike than we hoped but not unrewarding.
A Modest Reward
All things considered, this was a decent hiking trip. It was a long drive to spend an hour dripping into my waistband with little animal or flower sightings. But it was a pleasant introduction to the park in spite of the heat, bugs, and lackluster nature. It was a timing issue and that was my fault. And we did see some new flowers, many of which I’ve yet to identify.
Thoughts from the recliner
Maybe it’s best to see Cockroach Bay from the seat of a kayak amid the mangroves. I had been wanting to do so since our visit to Anclote. Still, the upland trails have promise. Maybe a visit at high noon in September isn’t the right idea.
Maybe it was Golden Aster Scrub preserve that had been recommended. We had been discussing that the last two scrub jays in existence in Hillsborough County resided there. Both are males, however, so, though nature finds a way…
Maybe I shouldn’t make last minute decisions to go hiking on unfamiliar trails in unfamiliar parks. But what is life without impulse?
Lessons Learned
That day I learned (again) to pay attention when people are speaking. Maybe carry a notepad. Or make a note on my phone. Or wire me and record every conversation. Eh.
I also learned to plan ahead. After all, I know Wednesdays and Thursdays are our days off. I could have done better research and likely planned for a more spectacular experience.
With this in mind, I plan to return with a better map of trails, a course plotted, and in cooler weather. And I might bring the kayaks. In the meantime, I should contact that ranger and clarify his advice.
In the Wet and Itchy End
By and large, we only caught a glimpse of Cockroach Bay Nature Preserve, let alone the bay itself. And we only hiked a smidgeon of the trails, let alone the kayak trails. We also barely burned a calorie, though we evaporated pints. On the positive side, what we saw was alluring, what we missed was intriguing, and we’ll certainly return for more. I recommend you heed our mistakes and pay a visit when you can.
Tonight we’ll simply have to park at the far end of the grocery store lot when we go shopping later. Especially after the hot dogs. And Cheesesteak. To say nothing of the hush puppies.
- Where’s your spot for taking in the fall wildflowers?
- Do last-minute impulsive ideas burn you up?
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