George C McGough Nature Park

George C. McGough Nature Park                                                                            Map
11901 146th Street North,
Largo,FL

George C. McGough Nature Park, located off Walsingham Road at the intersection of 146th St and 126th Ave , was once known as the Largo Narrows. It includes 15 acres of mangroves and submerged areas and 20 acres of upland. It is near the Indian Rocks Bridge and borders the intercoastal waterway.

The nature center by the entrance features owls and other small animals being rehabilitated.. A park ranger answers questions and conducts nature programs. There are interactive and informative exhibits for the children.

Winking Owl at the nature center in one of the animal display cages

McGough features a pond by the parking lot with snapping,  red-eared, soft-shelled and Florida box turtles. Visitors can feed the turtles if they buy the special turtle food. Gopher tortoises, the size of a small dog, can be found by the pond too. They dig out up to 30 feet long burrows shared with snakes and lizards.

You can see why McGough is know as "turtle park"

Bales of turtles line the pond

These turtles on a tree limb are waiting to be fed special turtle food by the park visitors

The McGough Nature Park Loop, part boardwalk and part crushed shell or pine needles is .9 miles in total length. The main trail near the boardwalk area meanders through sand blackberries, wild grape vines, saw palmetto, bracken ferns, slash and longleaf pines, and cabbage palms to an observation deck. The pier juts out into the bay and is surrounded by red and black mangroves sprouting from the waters edge. There are two trails, the Osprey Trail and the Fern trail.

Hungry Mallards

Cypress trees growing in the water

Bottlebrush