The Chassahowitzka Salt Marsh Trails

 Local Places, Local Faces

the Chassahowitzka Salt Marsh Trails

So we’ve got this great birding trail right around the corner from us. Seriously great. Three birding trails, a picnic pavilion, a kayak dock, a viewing tower that we climb to gaze out at the Chaz. And we seem to be the only ones that use it!  Well, we did see a few surly teenagers that were playing some kind of war game back there once. Probably “airsoft” which has scary looking weapons and ouch producing pellets. 

After visiting the Chassahowitzka Salt Marsh Trails numerous times and posting  about those visits more than once, I realized I didn’t know much about it.  So with a little research on the Internet, I stumbled across the website for the Friends of Chazz and discovered that they are responsible for this beautiful retreat.

the Chassahowitzka Salt Marsh Trails

According to their website, this project was completed on approximately 10 acres of the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge property and is the only land accessible property in the Refuge System. After completed, the Friends donated it to the Crystal River Wildlife Refuge.

the Chassahowitzka Salt Marsh Trails

There are no restrooms or drinking water on the property. Also, you need to know that the kayak launch is about ¼ mile from the road and if you want to use it, you will either need to carry your kayak or bring a cart–no vehicles allowed.

As I said before, the view from the tower is awesome. And it’s practically our own private park! But we’ll share it with you. The trailhead is on Mason Creek Drive, about a mile out of Old Homosassa.  Whether you are a bird enthusiast, a photographer, or just want to take a short walk on a beautiful trail, you should check it out.

The Holiday in Homosassa

We started our holiday weekend with wings at the Shed.  Actually that’s what we do almost every Friday night.  After doing our wing tour of Citrus County restaurants, I’ve decided that wings at the Shed are just as good as anywhere else, 50 cents each, and close to home!  Plus there is a band, cheap beer, and we usually run into a few neighbors and colorful tourists.  Very entertaining!

The Holiday in Homosassa

The Holiday in Homosassa

Went for a ride on Saturday.

The Holiday in Homosassa
Margarita Grill is making some progress. Soon we’ll have another option for deep-fried food!
The Holiday in Homosassa
And this is why we don’t take our boat on the river on a holiday weekend! Here’s the spring from the bridge on Fishbowl Dr.

Went for a bike ride on Sunday morning.

The Holiday in Homosassa
Tower at the Salt Marsh Trails in the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge

On Monday morning, we went for a walk and had some unexpected guests stop by our backyard for breakfast.

The Holiday in Homosassa
View from the second bridge on Hancock Road
The Holiday in Homosassa
Mama manatee and baby. (It’s so hard to get good pictures of manatees)

 

The Holiday in Homosassa
Our local otter family having crabs for breakfast.
The Holiday in Homosassa
They just detected the paparazzi, they are out of here!
The Holiday in Homosassa
Except mama otter doesn’t really care about my presence. She chows down on her crab.

 

And that’s how we spent this holiday in Homosassa!