As of October 2026, most of the public ways onto the Hillsborough River near the Fletcher Avenue corridor are closed. Lettuce Lake Conservation Park's kayak and canoe launch is closed, and so is the river from John B. Sargeant to Trout Creek. The two rental counters still running both work around the weekend. The bike loops and dirt trails in the same area are open seven days a week, and their fall and winter hours start earlier than the river parks do.
For anyone living at The Falls at New Tampa, that changes how to plan a week outdoors. The trails cover weekdays. The water mostly waits for Friday through Sunday. Those are the same days the north Tampa fall calendar fills up.
What Lettuce Lake's Notice Actually Closes
Lettuce Lake Conservation Park, at 6920 E. Fletcher Ave., posted a maintenance and closure notice updated 8/13/26. It lists four closures:
- Sections of the boardwalk are closed for repair.
- Shelters 5 and 7 are closed while the boardwalk work continues.
- The observation tower is closed during reconstruction.
- The kayak and canoe launch is closed during reconstruction. Rentals are suspended, and private boats can't use the launch either.
The notice gives no finish date. It matters more than a typical park repair because of what the closures cover. The county describes the park as a 3,500-foot boardwalk with an observation tower overlooking the Hillsborough River, plus a 1.25-mile paved exercise trail, a visitors center, and a native plant garden. The paved trail is still listed. So are the two playgrounds built in 2024, which have swings, adaptive and sensory equipment, and a medallion scavenger hunt where kids look for animals and plants. What's missing is the river itself: the elevated walk through the hardwood swamp, the view from the tower, and the launch.
Fall and winter hours at Lettuce Lake are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pets and bicycles have never been allowed on the boardwalk, which the county still notes.
Upriver, the Water Is Closed Too
The usual backup for paddlers is upstream, and it isn't open. Morris Bridge Conservation Park, at 13630 Morris Bridge Rd., has a county announcement closing its boat ramp and the park's west side "until further notice while the state clears the damage along the Hillsborough River." The same notice says that "all public access of the river from John B Sargeant to Trout Creek park will be closed until further notice." The notice has no date and gives no reason beyond the clearing work. Treat it as the county's current posted status and check the page before you load a kayak.
That affects John B. Sargeant Conservation Park at 12702 U.S. Hwy. 301 N., where the river access is the main draw. The county's page still lists on-site rentals seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., at $25 for up to four hours at one park. The river-access closure starts at Sargeant, though, so that listing can't be counted on as a way onto the closed stretch. Trout Creek Conservation Park, at 12550 Morris Bridge Rd., is at the other end of the closed reach.
This is the river-access picture from the posted notices as of early October 2026:
| Access point | Address | Posted status | Days with rentals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lettuce Lake Conservation Park | 6920 E. Fletcher Ave. | Launch closed, rentals suspended, private boats barred | None |
| Morris Bridge Conservation Park | 13630 Morris Bridge Rd. | Boat ramp and west side closed until further notice | None |
| John B. Sargeant Conservation Park | 12702 U.S. Hwy. 301 N. | River closed from Sargeant to Trout Creek | Listed daily, but the river reach is closed |
| USF Riverfront Park | 6550 E. Fletcher Ave. | Open, no scheduled closures | Friday to Sunday, USF ID holders only |
| Hillsborough River State Park | 15402 U.S. 301 North | Open, rental schedule temporarily changed | Closed Tuesday and Wednesday |
The Two Rental Counters Still Open Run on Weekend Schedules
USF Riverfront Park is the closest open launch to Fletcher Avenue. It isn't open to the general public, though. The park is listed open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., but the boathouse rents boats only Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It's closed Monday through Thursday. Rentals are limited to USF students, faculty, staff, and alumni with a valid USF ID, and each cardholder can rent up to two boats. If someone in your household has a USF ID, you can get on the water there on a weekend. If nobody does, this isn't an option.
Hillsborough River State Park is the open rental counter for everyone else. As of Aug. 4, 2026, the state lists a temporarily changed schedule for its canoe, kayak, and bicycle concession: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays it's open. Last launch is one hour before close. The page lists the weekday hours as Monday through Thursday and also says Tuesday and Wednesday are closed. In practice that probably leaves Monday and Thursday as the only weekdays, but call ahead before driving out midweek.
The park itself opens at 8 a.m. and closes at sunset, 365 days a year. Its older reopening notice, dated Feb. 24, 2025, is still posted. It lists the café, the recreation hall, several campsites, two pavilions, the Seminole Trail, and parts of the Rapids Trail as closed. That notice is more than a year and a half old. Assume those closures may still apply until the state updates the page.
Taken together, the general public can rent a boat on this part of the river on at most five days a week. The longest hours are Friday through Sunday.
The Trails Are Open Every Day
The land-based parks in this corridor have no closure notices like the river parks, and their fall and winter hours start earlier.
- Flatwoods Conservation Park, 14302 Morris Bridge Rd., Thonotosassa. The seven-mile paved multiuse loop has no posted closure. Fall and winter hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. That's an hour earlier than Lettuce Lake opens, which makes a weekday ride before work possible.
- Morris Bridge Biking Area, 12651 Morris Bridge Rd. The county lists about 15 miles of trails here, with the same 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. fall and winter hours. The closure notice for Morris Bridge Conservation Park doesn't mention it. The county describes it as sitting directly across from Trout Creek Conservation Park, with extra parking and access to the Wilderness Trail. That trail connects off-road riders to Flatwoods and Trout Creek.
- Trout Creek Conservation Park, 12550 Morris Bridge Rd. The county lists hiking and off-road biking here. The county notice closes river access at this end, not the park's trails.
- Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve, 15846 Morris Bridge Rd. The Southwest Florida Water Management District lists more than 60 miles of trails for hiking and biking. District lands are open from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. The district says the land's main purpose is water storage and water supply, and recreation comes second.
- The Old Fort King Trail, starting at John B. Sargeant. The river is closed there, but this trail starts at the same park. It runs 6.7 miles through Dead River Conservation Park into Hillsborough River State Park. It's out and back, so it's a 13.3-mile hike unless someone picks you up at the far end. Much of it is dirt and can be wet and muddy depending on the season. The trail follows the old road between Fort Brooke in Tampa and Fort King in Ocala. Remnants of that road can still be seen at the Fort Foster historic site inside the state park.
Flatwoods, the Morris Bridge Biking Area, Trout Creek, and the Lower Hillsborough Wilderness Preserve all have Morris Bridge Road addresses. One trip out that road reaches several trailheads. On a Tuesday or Wednesday, when the state park's rental counter is closed, these parks cover a full day outside.
October Weekends Compete With the River
The weekend paddling window is up against a busy north Tampa fall calendar. Two of the larger events fall on Saturdays.
Saturday, October 10 has two morning events. The USF Botanical Gardens Fall Plant Festival runs October 10 and 11, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 12210 USF Pine Drive. USF says it will have more than 50 local growers, artisan vendors, food trucks, and family activities. That morning the Temple Terrace Fire Department holds an open house from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Fire Station 2, 7772 E. Telecom Parkway. Both events end by early afternoon. The state park's rental counter stays open until 6 p.m. on Saturdays, with last launch at 5, so a late-afternoon paddle still fits after either one. Sunday, October 11, is the second festival day, so the plant sale and the boathouse can also go on different days that weekend.
Saturday, October 24 is easier. Temple Terrace's free Fall Festival runs 6 to 9 p.m. at the Family Recreation Complex, 6610 Whiteway Drive. It has trunk-or-treat, hayrides, a petting zoo, games, and a costume contest at 8 p.m. The festival starts after the state park's 5 p.m. Saturday last launch, so a day on the river and the festival fit in the same Saturday.
Friday, November 6 has a city Food Truck Rally from 5 to 8 p.m. The location is still listed as "to be announced." It's on a Friday, a rental day at both open counters, so it could follow an afternoon on the water once the city posts the site.
If you've followed our earlier look at what changed on 56th Street in Temple Terrace, these fall dates are more reasons to head toward the Whiteway Drive side of the city.
Before You Go
Most of the county and state notices behind this post were posted in August 2026. The Morris Bridge notice has no date, and the state park's reopening notice dates to Feb. 24, 2025. None of them gives a reopening date. These are the pages to check before heading out:
- The Lettuce Lake Park page, for the boardwalk, tower, and launch.
- The Morris Bridge Conservation Park page, for the Sargeant-to-Trout Creek river closure.
- The Hillsborough River State Park page, for the concession's weekday hours.
- The Temple Terrace city calendar, for the November 6 Food Truck Rally location.
Until Lettuce Lake's launch reopens, the weekday options near The Falls at New Tampa are the trails on Morris Bridge Road, and getting onto the river means planning around the Friday-through-Sunday rental schedules.
At Smith Garcia Group, we follow changes like these park closures because they affect daily life in the communities our clients own in, from Temple Terrace to the Gulf Coast. If you're weighing a move in or around The Falls at New Tampa and want local context alongside the numbers, Schedule Your Market Consultation.
