Weedon Island Preserve

Weedon Island Preserve
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
View of the preserve from top of observation tower
Location	Pinellas County, Florida, USA
Nearest city	St. Petersburg, Florida
Coordinates	27°50′42″N 82°36′07″W / 27.84500°N 82.60194°W / 27.84500; -82.60194Coordinates: 27°50′42″N 82°36′07″W / 27.84500°N 82.60194°W / 27.84500; -82.60194
Established	June 13, 1972
Governing body	Pinellas County Park Department

The Weedon Island Preserve is a 3,190 acre natural area situated along the western shore of Tampa Bay, and located on 1800 Weedon Drive NE. St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It is predominately an estuarine preserve composed of upland and aquatic ecosystems such as mangrove forests, pine/scrubby flatwoods, and maritime hammock, and is home to a variety of native wildlife. The preserve is also a designated archaeological area with several shell mounds identified on the property that provide evidence of early peoples who inhabited the land for thousands of years.

On June 13, 1972, Weedon Island Preserve was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. In 1974 the state of Florida purchased Weedon Island and its surrounding islands and it officially opened for public use in December 1980. In 1993, the state created a lease agreement with Pinellas County to manage and maintain the preserve. The county's Department of Parks and Conservation Resources presently manages the area.

Weedon Island Preserve's name is derived from Tampa doctor and amateur archaeologist, Leslie Washington Weedon.

The preserve offers a total of 4.7 miles of nature trails for hiking with 2 miles out of the total as boardwalks and paved trails that are ADA accessible, and the remaining 2.7 miles as natural trail loops. The 3,000 foot Tower Boardwalk trail leads visitors to a 45-foot tall observation tower, the tallest of its kind in Pinellas County. With favorable weather conditions, one can see much of the Preserve and Tampa Bay from this tower, as well as the cities of Tampa and St. Petersburg. Three additional observation platforms along the trails offer opportunities for bird and wildlife viewing, and are ideal for photography.

In addition to hiking, the preserve maintains a 4-mile, self-guided canoeing/kayaking loop called the South Paddling Trail. The path weaves through mangrove tunnels within the preserve and has access points to the bay. Visitors interested in exploring the paddling trail may bring their own vessels or they may rent from the onsite outfitter, Sweetwater Kayaks.