Back to Tim's Home PageTim's Paddling Adventures
The launch area at John Chestnut Sr. Park, where the Brooker Creek paddle begins on Lake Tarpon. A yellow pond-lily flower opening beside broad floating leaves. The red kayak bow pointing into a narrow, duckweed-covered section of Brooker Creek. One of the prettiest sections of the trip: a narrow green corridor beneath cypress, palms and hardwoods. Deep shade and still water give Brooker Creek a surprisingly remote feel. A beautiful sunlit bend where the narrow creek briefly opens beneath a bright blue sky. A thick bed of lily pads spreading across the calmer water near the lake shoreline.

Brooker Creek

June 27, 2023 · John Chestnut Sr. Park · Lake Tarpon · Summer creek exploration

(All photos by Tim, and all are clickable for the full-size image)

Brooker Creek is one of those small paddles that can feel much wilder than it looks on a map. On June 27, 2023, I launched from John Chestnut Sr. Park on Lake Tarpon and worked along the shoreline into the mouth of Brooker Creek, trading open lake water for a narrow tunnel of cypress, palms, vines, floating plants and summer flowers.
DateJune 27, 2023
LaunchJohn Chestnut Sr. Park
RouteLake Tarpon into Brooker Creek
CharacterShort, quiet and wonderfully wild

John Chestnut Sr. Park launch map

This Pinellas County park map shows the Lake Tarpon shoreline, park roads, parking areas and the boat-ramp area used as the starting point for this Brooker Creek paddle.

Pinellas County map of John Chestnut Sr. Park on Lake Tarpon, showing the park entrance, roads, parking, boat ramp, trails and shoreline.
Pinellas County map of John Chestnut Sr. Park on Lake Tarpon. The boat-ramp area along the lake provides the starting point for the paddle toward Brooker Creek. Head south (left) to the mouth of Brooker Creek.
The launch area at John Chestnut Sr. Park, where the Brooker Creek paddle begins on Lake Tarpon.
The launch area at John Chestnut Sr. Park, where the Brooker Creek paddle begins on Lake Tarpon.

From Lake Tarpon into the creek

The trip begins at the kayak launch at John Chestnut Sr. Park. From there I turn left and follow the edge of Lake Tarpon until I reach Brooker Creek. The lake portion gives you open sky and a little exposure to wind, but once you enter the creek the whole character of the paddle changes almost immediately.

In late June the shoreline is alive with color and growth. Even before getting very far upstream there were aquatic flowers, cattails, pond lilies and the unmistakable bright pink egg clusters of apple snails attached above the waterline.

A delicate white aquatic flower floating among the vegetation near the beginning of the paddle.
A delicate white aquatic flower floating among the vegetation near the beginning of the paddle.
A cluster of pale pink apple snail eggs attached above the waterline on a reed.
A cluster of pale pink apple snail eggs attached above the waterline on a reed.
A larger pink apple snail egg cluster — one of many small details that reward a slow paddle.
A larger pink apple snail egg cluster — one of many small details that reward a slow paddle.
Purple pickerelweed blooming along the shoreline in the summer heat.
Purple pickerelweed blooming along the shoreline in the summer heat.
A close view of another bright pink apple snail egg mass on emergent vegetation.
A close view of another bright pink apple snail egg mass on emergent vegetation.
A cattail rising through the dense green shoreline vegetation.
A cattail rising through the dense green shoreline vegetation.
A yellow pond-lily flower opening beside broad floating leaves.
A yellow pond-lily flower opening beside broad floating leaves.

Summer color everywhere

This is not a paddle where the attraction is one dramatic destination. The fun is in slowing down and noticing what is growing and living along the banks. Yellow pond lilies, floating leaves, purple blooms and tiny details along the reeds make the creek especially interesting in summer.

The water can be dark and tea-colored beneath the trees, while patches of direct sun turn the vegetation almost fluorescent green. It is a very different feeling from the broad lake only a short distance away.

Pond-lily leaves and colorful buds floating in the quiet water.
Pond-lily leaves and colorful buds floating in the quiet water.
Trees and sky reflected in the calm water while following the Lake Tarpon shoreline toward Brooker Creek.
Trees and sky reflected in the calm water while following the Lake Tarpon shoreline toward Brooker Creek.
A fallen log lying low over the water — a reminder that woody obstructions are part of paddling this creek.
A fallen log lying low over the water — a reminder that woody obstructions are part of paddling this creek.
Dense vines and creekside vegetation crowding the narrow waterway.
Dense vines of poison ivy and creekside vegetation crowding the narrow waterway.
A vivid pink egg cluster standing out against Spanish moss and the shaded creek forest.
A vivid pink egg cluster standing out against Spanish moss and the shaded creek forest.
A small air plant growing directly from a tree trunk beside the creek.
A small air plant growing directly from a tree trunk beside the creek.
The red kayak bow pointing into a narrow, duckweed-covered section of Brooker Creek.
My red kayak bow pointing into a narrow, duckweed-covered section of Brooker Creek.

A narrowing old-Florida waterway

Farther into Brooker Creek the channel narrows, duckweed collects on the surface, and the bow of the kayak seems to disappear into a green corridor. Fallen logs and branches are part of the experience. Depending on recent storms and water levels, a tree can turn an easy upstream paddle into a turnaround point.

That changing nature is part of what makes the creek interesting. You never know exactly how far you will be able to get on a given trip, and higher water can open stretches that are difficult or impossible during dry periods.

Small shelf mushrooms growing from a wet fallen log at creek level.
Small shelf mushrooms growing from a wet fallen log at creek level.
A closer look at pale mushrooms thriving on decaying wood in the damp creek environment.
A closer look at pale mushrooms thriving on decaying wood in the damp creek environment.
Clusters of ripening berries hanging over the shaded creek.
Clusters of ripening berries hanging over the shaded creek.
Passing beneath one of the bridges spanning Brooker Creek.
Passing beneath one of the bridges spanning Brooker Creek.
A sunlit bank where thick vines and summer vegetation spill down toward the water.
A sunlit bank where thick vines and summer vegetation spill down toward the water.
Cypress roots and trunks meeting the dark, still water along the creek bank.
Cypress roots and trunks meeting the dark, still water along the creek bank.
A round white buttonbush bloom along the water — another bit of summer color on the creek.
A round white buttonbush bloom along the water — another bit of summer color on the creek.
One of the prettiest sections of the trip: a narrow green corridor beneath cypress, palms and hardwoods.
One of the prettiest sections of the trip: a narrow green corridor beneath cypress, palms and hardwoods.

Cypress, palms and a swamp forest

This is where Brooker Creek really starts to feel remote. Cypress trunks stand right at the waterline, knees rise from the saturated floodplain, and palms, ferns, vines and air plants crowd every available space. Even though the creek is surrounded by one of the most populated parts of Pinellas County, there are sections where the view from the kayak looks like deep backcountry Florida.

Paddling quietly also makes it easier to notice the small wildlife. In one shallow pocket I could see tiny tadpoles in the water, while buttonbush flowers and other creekside plants attracted insects along the banks.

Tiny tadpoles visible in a shallow, sunlit pocket of water along the creek.
Tiny tadpoles visible in a shallow, sunlit pocket of water along the creek.
A cluster of cypress trunks and knees rising from the saturated floodplain beside the channel.
A cluster of cypress trunks and knees rising from the saturated floodplain beside the channel.
A water hyacinth rosette surrounded by a carpet of tiny floating plants.
A water hyacinth rosette surrounded by a carpet of tiny floating plants.
Another bright pink snail egg cluster tucked among the tall marsh grasses.
Another bright pink snail egg cluster tucked among the tall marsh grasses.
Lichen covering the bark of a creekside tree in the humid forest.
Lichen covering the bark of a creekside tree in the humid forest.
An old trunk with natural cavities standing beside the quiet water.
An old trunk with natural cavities standing beside the quiet water.
A large air plant growing high on a cypress trunk.
A large air plant growing high on a cypress trunk.
Ferns and epiphytes covering trees along the saturated creek forest.
Ferns and epiphytes covering trees along the saturated creek forest.
Deep shade and still water give Brooker Creek a surprisingly remote feel.
Deep shade and still water give Brooker Creek a surprisingly remote feel.

Quiet water and deep shade

The best parts of the paddle are often the simplest: a dark bend in the creek, reflections under the trees, the soft sound of the kayak moving through floating vegetation, and almost no sense that Lake Tarpon is nearby. Light wind is helpful because the open lake near the launch can get choppy, but inside the creek the forest provides considerable protection.

Brooker Creek is not a long expedition. It is more of an exploration — a place to poke along, look at plants and wildlife, and see how far the water and fallen trees will let you go.

Sliding the kayak through a narrow, tea-colored stretch of creek bordered by tall vegetation.
Sliding the kayak through a narrow, tea-colored stretch of creek bordered by tall vegetation.
Bright green duckweed collecting along roots and the shaded creek bank.
Bright green duckweed collecting along roots and the shaded creek bank.
A tree trunk rising from a broad mat of floating green vegetation.
A tree trunk rising from a broad mat of floating green vegetation.
A beautiful sunlit bend where the narrow creek briefly opens beneath a bright blue sky.
A beautiful sunlit bend where the narrow creek briefly opens beneath a bright blue sky.

Turning back toward the lake

Eventually I turned around and worked my way back downstream. As the canopy begins to open, blue sky returns and the creek gradually transitions back toward the broader water of Lake Tarpon.

The return trip is never quite the same visually. Looking in the opposite direction reveals different reflections, tree shapes and pockets of sunlight, and by late afternoon the floating vegetation near the lake can be especially colorful.

The creek widening as the paddle works back toward the open water of Lake Tarpon.
The creek widening as the paddle works back toward the open water of Lake Tarpon.
A thick bed of lily pads spreading across the calmer water near the lake shoreline.
A thick bed of lily pads spreading across the calmer water near the lake shoreline.
Small white flowers scattered among colorful floating leaves.
Small white flowers scattered among colorful floating leaves.
A closer look at the tiny white aquatic flowers mixed through the lily pads.
A closer look at the tiny white aquatic flowers mixed through the lily pads.
Red and green floating leaves creating a patchwork of color on the water.
Red and green floating leaves creating a patchwork of color on the water.
White flowers and red-edged leaves glowing in the afternoon sun.
White flowers and red-edged leaves glowing in the afternoon sun.

A little paddle with a lot to see

Brooker Creek is a cool little trip because it delivers so much variety in a relatively short distance: open Lake Tarpon, narrow shaded creek, cypress swamp, aquatic flowers, floating plants, fungi, snail eggs, tadpoles and dense old-Florida vegetation. It is a good reminder that a paddle does not have to be long or difficult to be interesting.

Water level and fallen trees will always determine how far upstream you can go, and wind matters on the lake portion. But when conditions line up, it is an easy place to spend a few unhurried hours exploring one of Pinellas County's quieter waterways.

A colorful local waterway sign photographed near the end of the June paddle.
A colorful local waterway sign photographed near the end of the June paddle.