Spanning 682 acres between Upper Sarasota Bay and the mouth of the Manatee River, Robinson Preserve is a mix of natural and restored habitats.
The northerly arc of the Osprey Loop shows off the best of the natural shoreline along Tampa Bay, with many benches overlooking the expanse.
Outflow of the lagoon into Tampa Bay
Mangrove forests and salt flats are major components of this hike, along with a slender ridge of coastal hammock providing welcome shade for a third of the loop.
In addition to the bayfront and boardwalks through the mangrove forest, the preserve’s observation tower is a central feature of this popular 3.3 mile multi-use loop.
Observation Tower
Expand this hike to 4.7 miles with a round-trip along the Tern Trail, an optional hiking-only spur along the Tampa Bay shoreline to Mead Point.
The Osprey Loop starts within sight of the Valentine House, a late 1800s home floated across the Manatee River and placed here as a welcome center.
Hikes, trams, and paddling start behind the Valentine House
Resources
Resources for exploring the area
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Overview
Location: Palma Sola
Length: 3.3 mile loop
Trailhead: 27.514320, -82.662139
Address: 1704 99th St NW, Bradenton
Fees: Free
Restroom: At the Valentine House
Land Manager: Manatee County
Phone: 941-742-5923
Open sunrise to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome. Largely hard-packed limestone, the trail also has boardwalks and a segment that is asphalt.
A group campsite off this loop may be reserved for groups of 25 or less. Carry sunglasses to wear where the white pathways reflect the sun’s glare into your face.
Directions
From US 41 (9th St SW) in downtown Bradenton, follow Manatee Ave (SR 64) west 4 miles to 75th St SW. Turn right. Continue 0.8 mile to 9th Ave NW. Turn left. Drive 1.5 miles west to 99th St NW. Facing the south entrance to the preserve, turn right on 99th St NW and drive a half mile to the north entrance on the left.
Hike
Start from the kiosk adjoining the paved pathway and walk your choice of surfaces – paved or unpaved – away from the Valentine House and across a mangrove-lined causeway.
A bench along an open water provides the first stop for birders. Interpretation on the cultivation of salt-loving plants explains their use in restoring Manatee County preserves.
Beginning of the hike
A tenth of a mile in, the first trail junction is obvious but unmarked. When it was built, the Osprey Loop was well-marked with mileage posts and signage.
On foot, it’s easy to examine the map to determine you’re on the loop, but blazing or signs would make junctions clearer for cyclists. Turn right to commit to the counterclockwise loop.
Turn right to start the loop
Curving through salt flats, the hard-packed surface is easy to walk, with views over low vegetation. Tall poles in the distance provide osprey places to build their nests.
Scattered pines and palmetto grace an uplands area where the Campground Loop diverges from the main trail at 0.3 mile, headed for the group campsite.
Group campsite turnoff
Smooth cordgrass waves in the breeze along the edge of a wetland around the next curve. The observation tower comes into view, just before the turnoff for it.
Make a left at pavilion 1 and follow this mini-loop through the salt flats. At a half mile, a hiking only path guides you to a curving boardwalk through the mangroves.
Boardwalk to the tower
The boardwalk ends at the base of the five-story tower, a tough climb with outstanding views from every landing. Views extend in every direction.
At the top, take in a panorama of Tampa Bay beyond the coastal side of the preserve, with the massive Sunshine State Skyway bridge on the horizon.
One view from the top
Descend and follow the rest of the loop to the main trail, making a left. The raised path winds through the mangrove forest, passing a very worn trail marker on a curve.
The expanse of lagoon below the tower shimmers behind the mangroves, with a view across it opening up at a curve.
View of the tower
The boardwalk begins, hovering over a saltwater passage between walls of mangroves, a route paddlers take to the bay.
From the shade where the boardwalk ends, the next salt pond extends west. Emerge into an open area at 1.1 miles with benches and picnic tables under a massive ficus.
Long boardwalk
A beaten path behind the picnic tables leads to a slender sandy strand along the open waters of Tampa Bay.
From the picnic corner, the Osprey Loop starts its bayfront segment through a coastal hammock, with occasional glimpses of the expanse of the bay.
Tampa Bay. Emerson Point and Terra Ceia on the horizon
Swinging out to the edge of the salt pond, it’s bolstered by a rocky edge on a curve approaching a bridge, the waterway an entrance and exit for paddlers to the bayfront.
The ribbon of white curves along the coastal berm, the pathway mottled in shade by sea grapes and massive mangroves.
Bridge over kayak channel
Cabbage palms mark the approach to a bridge at 1.4 miles, an old marker at its far end. Sometimes sticky through the next section, the footpath can be glaring in the sun.
Waves wash gently against the bayfront shoreline, visible through a tiny gap in the mangroves.
Boardwalk in the hammock
A boardwalk curves through the coastal mangrove forest to another sunny stretch, where a bench overlooks the bay at 1.6 miles.
Not much farther, the trail emerges at a T intersection with a map. To the right is pavilion 5, a shaded bench at a view along the bay.
Bench on the bay
Straight ahead, signs warn against taking bikes on a trail with a sign marking the area as part of the Old Growth Forest Network.
There is no sign to tell you it’s the Tern Trail, but the map confirms its location, starting 1.8 miles from the trailhead along the Osprey Loop.
Start of the Tern Trail
A hiking-only round-trip of up to 1.4 miles to Mead Point, the Tern Trail extends to the tip of the peninsula where Sarasota Bay flows into Tampa Bay
It’s a a worthwhile add-on to the Osprey Loop if conditions permit. Conditions are rugged and you’re crunched up close to the shoreline.
Sandy tread on the Tern Trail
We tackled it all on our first visit, but on this most recent one, fumes from noxious algae tucked into coves along Tampa Bay forced a hasty retreat a quarter mile out.
At a minimum, take a quarter mile round-trip to see old-growth mangroves lining a saline creek along a plank boardwalk.
Mangrove boardwalk
The Osprey Loop heads south from this intersection. Backtracking the way you came is far more enjoyable but a longer hike.
The straight route south from the bay has no shade and the crushed limestone reflects the sun into your eyes. Sunglasses are a necessity along this stretch.
Reflected sunlight can be blinding on this surface
Edged by mangroves on both sides, the straight line path meets a junction in front of pavilion 6, a shaded bench at 2.2 miles.
The spur to the left is the Gulf Trail, a round-trip of 0.2 mile to an observation point on the waterway plied by paddlers.
Pavilions provide slight respite from the sun
Continue south along this broad road-like trail through the salt flats, catching a brief view of a boardwalk on a pond to the east. Mangroves border small open flats to the west.
A narrow trail parallels on the left but the two do not touch until a broad bridge. It’s here the side trail, a spur out to that boardwalk you glimpsed, merges in.
Lagoon beyond the spur trail
Expect to see paddlers, since the paddling trail passes beneath this bridge. Just beyond it, pavilion 9 marks an important junction of trails at 2.5 miles
The paved path in front of it is the Spoonbill Trail, continuing south to the very tip of Robinson Preserve and east to the North Trailhead.
Pavilion 9
The natural path straight ahead leads to a bridge, the upper access point to the 1.6 mile hiking-only Eagle Loop, a bouncy rubberized path through a restored agricultural landscape.
A sign confirms which way to go to the trailhead. To stay on the Osprey Loop, turn left onto the paved path.
Trail junction
This last segment of the loop tends to be very busy, as the paved trail attracts cyclists, rollerbladers, and casual walkers.
It’s also where the tram tour runs. A two-track path parallels to the right. Past pavilion 12, it’s fascinating to watch hikers and runners on high ground on the Eagle Loop.
The Eagle Loop is atop high berms and hills
Take care along the sharper curves past pavilion 13, since cyclists can come up quickly. The paved path makes a sharp right at 2.9 miles.
Past the curve, osprey posts and the observation tower are now obvious across the open salt flats.
Sharp curve
Unpaved paths merge in from the left and right as the paved path straightens out for the final stretch due east to the trailhead.
Complete your hike within sight of the Valentine House at the trailhead kiosk after 3.3 miles.
Final stretch
Trail Map
Explore More!
Learn more about Robinson Preserve
Robinson Preserve Edging Tampa Bay, the vast sweep of Robinson Preserve is a puzzle of natural and restored habitats circled by more than ten miles of mixed-use trails.
Video
Hiking the Osprey Loop
Slideshow
See our photos from the Osprey Loop and Tern Trail
Nearby Adventures
Palma Sola Botanical Park A former ten acre nursery, Palma Sola Botanical Park showcases temperate and tropical species, including collections of palms, fruit trees, and flowering tropical trees.
Riverview Pointe Preserve Protecting eleven acres of waterfront adjacent to De Soto National Memorial, this dog-friendly coastal park features a beach on the Manatee River.
De Soto National Memorial Interpreting the landing of Spanish conquistador Hernando De Soto, De Soto National Memorial occupies a peninsula where the Manatee River flows into Tampa Bay.
Leffis Key Preserve Discover the spectacular beauty of a coastal mangrove forest on a network of boardwalks along Sarasota Bay at the base of a 26-foot-hill with an outstanding view.
