John Chesnut Senior Park

2200 E Lake Rd S, Palm Harbor, FL 34685, USA

Address:	2200 E Lake Rd S, Palm Harbor, FL 34685, USA
Phone:	+1 727-669-1951
Site:	pinellascounty.org
Rating:	4.7
Working:	7AM–7PM 7AM–7PM 7AM–7PM 7AM–7PM 7AM–7PM 7AM–7PM 7AM–7PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 11

Amy Fox

I know what a pileated woodpecker is and that is NOT what I saw here in 2001. Keep an eye on the tall, wooded section between lake tarpon and the parks stream on the west side SW of the large volleyball sandpit. A weird trumpeting sound that I thought might be a blue jay or a kid playing badly on a a strangled bugle led me one afternoon to grab my binoculars and stray from my bridge where I was watching an anhinga. Twenty trees away I followed woodpecker knocking up a tree to find a very large woodpecker. I grabbed my binoculars but as I did it swooped over me and I thought, "WHAT interesting stripes!" It landed on a tree five trees away from me and I got a great view with my naked eyes. I used my binoculars and got a GREAT view and checked my bird guide... How odd, it looks kind of like a pileated woodpecker but different. There arent two white stripes on its head. The back of his feathers have a LOT of white on him. The underwing marking is wrong... The white and black areas dont match up. Its beak isnt black. What is it? A cousin?? The bird stayed near me for a good fifteen minutes before being seemingly scared off by a much smaller woodpecker who came into the territory. That evening, I consulted with my mom, an enthusiastic birder. Later on, we got together and she showed me her bird book. I checked her bird book and got excited to see my bird was an ivory billed woodpecker. A moment later I checked the range and thought, thats impossible. It says here it is believed to be extinct... I know what I saw. I wish Id had a smart phone back then so someone would pay closer attention to this area. I saw an ivory billed woodpecker when I didnt even know they ever existed! I had binoculars, great views, my guide to compare and plenty of time. It was afternoon and the sun was shining. It was about 78 degrees. Keep your ears open if youre in this area. If you hear an odd horn noise, follow it! Im back in Ohio so I cant drive up the road to look for him anymore. Whenever I come back, Ill drop by to listen for him again. Also, that year, we would find whooping cranes in the office park near Oldsmar off of Race Track Rd. It looks like that area has been developed more since 2001 so Im betting theyve moved from there.

Jean Urban

Not only is this park gorgeous, full of animals, and a wonderful recreational place, but it also has been a source of cost free physical rehabilitation for me. Beginning in May of this year, after 30 days in the hospital, I was unable to walk more than 25 ft without becoming incapacitated. However, with the support and encouragement of my wonderful husband, I have walked every day since and continue to improve my distance, time and speed. The fresh morning air, the beauty of nature, the birds awakening and the quiet comraderie of the other "park denizens" have all helped me regain my hope and faith in a beautiful future. Thank you Pinellas County for this wonderful resource!

David Baldie

What: This park features a decent size dog park that is fairly popular. Where: To get to the dogpark once you enter the park grounds, you go straight through the first stop sign, and hang a left at your first chance. The road will curve to your right, and after a few speed bumps the dog park area will be on your left. Who: This dog park supports large and small breeds and has 3 watering stations. Two for the large breed and one for the small. The large breed area is at least 4 times the size of the small dog area and many different breeds can be seen regularly on any given Saturday. Most dog owners I have encountered have been friendly as have their dogs.

Brian Jester

I havent been to this park since I was a kid (in the mid-late 80s , now living in New Jersey, I remember going fishing in this park and the bass fishing was awesome! The featured lake in the park is lake tarpon, with many smaller lakes in the park full of bass, and beautiful wildlife! If you love nature, this park is a must see! Lots of nature to see in this park! Look-out for the alligators, theres plenty of alligators here! Dont forget to bring your camera, you will make a lot of memories here. I remember the park back then was kept super clean as well! Great for the whole family!

Chad Kelly

So, were from Ohio -- there is a lot to look at around there. But the terrain and habitats in Florida are SO different! And this park was just great at showing us whats natural around Tarpon Springs. We saw two alligators! There were dozen of turtles and the "swamps" with the boardwalks were just incredible! I believe that youre better off on foot at this park (although bikes are welcome) because its not huge -- we walked just under two miles and saw most of the park (we believe). All-in-all, this park is definitely worth the trip. We REALLY enjoyed ourselves!

Ilaria Merizalde Chiaruzzi

My family and I love this park. One of the best in the county. You often see a variety of wildlife, like deer, egrets, herons, tons of squirrels and even alligators. Its quite big, so you can ride your bike around, jog or stroll with plenty of space for everyone. There is also a large green area for free play for soccer or chasing the kids around. The dog park is nice, and so are the kids playgrounds. Lots of mature trees provide plenty of shade.

Cynthia Sellers

This is a great little Park to take your kids or your elderly folks for a picnic. Theres little walking pass through the area you can walk out and see the water feed the squirrels theres also a boat ramp there and a bar tower that you can climb. While youre playing in the park with the kids you can see the deer walking around and eating their awesome to see if youre very quiet you can see them for a good while theyre not afraid of people.

Dan Larremore

Great place to get off of the pavement and wander the boardwalks through the swamp. Regularly see deer, gators, owls, and hawks. The park offers picnic pavilions, fenced dog areas, playgrounds, boat ramp, ball fields, and rest rooms, but the best features of the park are the observation tower and boardwalk trails along Lake Tarpon- all FOR FREE! Awesome Pinellas County park. Go take a stroll or bike ride.

marsha goldstein

This is usually a beautiful park for walking, biking, picnics, gatherings in the many shelters, or taking your fur baby to the spacious dog park. Today the park was used as a sandbag distribution point in preparation for Hurricane Irma. The rest of the park is closed for bridge maintenance. The park also has a boat launch onto Lake Tarpon and several boardwalks, trails and observation towers.

Allison MacKay-Bell

Love this park! Great boat ramp. Not too busy. Great playgrounds for kids of all ages! Amazing boardwalk and tower overlooking Lake Tarpon. Along the lake side board walk there are pavilions with tables. There is a boardwalk that takes you through cypress trees and some small ponds. The third trail is on a boardwalk as well as on a Sandy trail that takes you alongside Brooker Creek.

Anna Brown

THE BEST PARK EVER! We love going to parks & this was our favorite one! It is a photographers & nature lovers paradise! Even saw a Florida Panther on Peggy Trail back in 2009/2010! Everything from moorhens, to ducks, to herons, to egrets, to bald eagles, to woodpeckers & everything in between...including bunnies, turtles, butterflies, dragonflies & alligators! Oh my!!! :)