Starkey Wilderness Preserve

Starkey Wilderness Preserve is located in Pasco County, Florida and includes biking and hiking trails, camping sites, picnic areas, equestrian trails and cabins. It is named after Jay B. Starkey, a cattle rancher who bought the property in 1937 and later donated hundreds of acres. The park connects with the Serenova tract and the Anclote River tract as well as the Suncoast Trail. The area includes areas of pine flatwoods, cypress domes, freshwater marshes, stream and lake swamps, sandhill and scrub over a combined 8,500-acre (34 km²) "wetland ecosystem spread throughout approximately 18,000 acres of conservation lands". The park is located in Western Pasco County east of New Port Richey.^[1] The park includes the Starkey Trail, an approximately 6.7 mile paved multi-use trail that links up with the Suncoast Trail at its eastern terminus. There are also unimproved trails in the park. An 8 mile mountain bike trail was approved and being developed as of 2013.^[2]

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