WATER & COAST
Werner-Boyce Salt Springs State Park
Pasco County · Gulf Coast
A young and largely undeveloped state park on four miles of Pasco County's Gulf shoreline, named for a saltwater spring 320 feet deep.
ABOUT THIS PLACE
The park protects about four miles of coast near Port Richey, a stretch of salt marsh, mangrove and coastal hammock that would otherwise have been built on. Its name comes from a saltwater spring measured at roughly 320 feet deep, which is a considerable hole in the ground; it is not open to visitors and there is no way to see it. What is here is deliberately plain. A half-mile nature trail runs from the Scenic Drive trailhead, with a picnic pavilion and an information kiosk, and that is most of the built infrastructure. Boating and fishing are allowed, though there is still no boat ramp. Hiking trails, camping and marked paddling routes have been planned for years and have not yet arrived. The wildlife is the reason to come. About 150 bird species have been recorded, including raptors, wading birds and migrating songbirds, and gray fox, gopher tortoise, alligator and manatee all use the park. The entrance is off Scenic Drive west of US 19, open from eight in the morning until sundown all year
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