If you want to take your dog on a fun walk along the water, North Bay Trail is perfect for you! This paved, mostly flat trail is 6.3 miles long, and dogs are welcome to join you on-leash.
The trail begins at Demens Landing Park. Here, free parking, restrooms, and drinking water are available. There are also dog-friendly picnic tables in this park. From there, the paved trail takes you along Tampa Bay. The first part of the trail goes through Downtown St. Petersburg, where there are lots of restaurants with dog-friendly outdoor seating. You’ll also pass Straub Park, with is home to two beautiful Banyan trees.
After that, you’ll walk past the historic Vinoy Hotel and Vinoy Park, which often hosts outdoor concerts and outdoor markets. Then, you’ll go through Gizella Kopsick Arboretum, which is home to over 500 palm trees from around the world. Your last stop in Downtown St. Petersburg will be Flora Wylie Park, a lovely waterfront park with plenty of benches. The park also has a unique “human sundial.” This granite sundial was built in the 1930s, and when you stand in front of it, your shadow will fall on an hour marker, showing you the correct time.
After you leave Downtown St. Petersburg, you’ll go through the Historic Old Northeast neighborhood. On this part of the trail, you’ll walk along Coffeepot Bayou. After that, the trail turns inland, and you’ll go through a peaceful suburban neighborhood.
Finally, on the last part of the trail, you’ll walk along a lovely little canal before you reach the end of the trail in Rio Vista Park. Here, you can relax with your dog and enjoy views of the water before you head back to the start of the trail.
North Bay Trail is a beautiful urban trail that takes you through fun Downtown St. Petersburg and along Tampa Bay. Your dog’s tail will wag with excitement when they see this furrific trail!
There’s very little shade on the North Bay Trail. Because of that, it’s important to bring extra water with you on your hike. There are also no doggy bags available along the trail, and so it’s a good idea to bring these with you as well.