McKay Bay Nature Park — Attraction in Tampa

I checked out this park recently and some of the negative reviews are accurate while other terrible reviews were overblown.

The park has lots of trails to adventure around the property. Sadly, many of the trails that had boardwalks to get you thru the low elevation areas have deteriorated by time &/or storms, and are blocked from further usage. Not certain if this is a city park or county, but this park needed some TLC a decade ago, and lack of TLC has caused it to be the park that has been forgotten over time. The grass around the paved trails are mowed and parts of this park have stunning oak trees! I didnt smell any ill odors from the recycling plant close-by, nor did i notice any excessive trash on or off the dirt trails. If the city has pulled back on maintaining this park, i expected to see alot more trash than what i saw.

Lastly, i didn't come across any "hanky panky" on or off the trails by park visitors. I did notice 6-8 cars parked and some occupied - i didnt get nosy as to their purpose for doing so, nor would i. When i visit any of our local parks, i mind my own business and make sure my dog doesnt venture into places that...

Disgusting and pathetic. I went to this park years ago and it wasn't anywhere near this bad. Saw some dead wildlife (pollution?) and a truckload of litter. It's bad enough it is by the trash dump, but that's not really anything that Parks and Rec can do about it. Outside of that, this is one of the most poorly maintained parks I have ever seen. Litter everywhere, people hanging out in their cars using drugs (down the street from dozens of cops).

Walked the "nature trail" with the kids and turned a corner to surprise a couple of men.... I don't care what folks do, but in the middle of the day in a small city park with kids walking around? Come on. Used condoms, sanitary wipes, human feces, rotting mattress on the "Wilderness Trail." My 9 year old suggested the City of Tampa change the name of this park to "Decay Bay," which is fitting.

City of Tampa Parks and Rec, please close this park if you cannot maintain it or make it safe for people to use. It is an embarrassment for our City and...

I love finding new parks, and sometimes abandoned disrepair has it's allure, but in this case it was enough for us to leave. The pavilion we ate at was a nice shady spot, but it was a little worn down. I probably wouldn't let my kids explore alone. The boardwalk is inaccessible due to being broken, which was a disappointing find at the end of the trail. Some alligator warning signs should be added. My toddler walked ahead around a bend and came face to face with an 8 foot alligator. In my 20 years in Florida, I've never been that close to an alligator that big on accident! Obviously I am always on the lookout for them wherever we go, but I had no idea there was any water near the trail at all due to lack of signage and overgrown foliage. An 8 ft alligator fit in a very small ditch! Everyone's safe, but I might not go back with the kids. In addition, it's near industrial work, so it's very noisy and smelly. That didn't bother me too much, but it certainly wasn't a...