Tucked away in Hillsborough County, Upper Tampa Bay Conservation Park is a nearly 600-acre natural escape offering everything from oak hammocks to salt barrens and it costs just $2 per vehicle to get in.The park sits on a penin sula between Double Branch Creek and Old Tampa Bay, giving it a saltwater habitat unlike many other parks in the region.Senior Park Ranger Ethan Hobbs has worked at the park for 27 years and says its ecology is unlike anywhere else."We have the creek which actually runs right into Tampa Bay and because we are on that tide, we are considered a saltwater habitat. We don't really have freshwater here. No alligators usually, uh, manatees and dolphins are something that you would normally see here in the water," Hobbs said.Hobbs describes himself and his colleagues as stewards of the land."I always say that we are caretakers for the park," Hobbs said."We have a very diverse ecology here," Hobbs said.Visitors can rent canoes and kayaks for $25 for 4 hours, explore 3 hiking trails, or cast a line from the 300-foot boardwalk that leads to the waterway. The park also has picnic tables, grills, and shelters available for rent. Boat launches are free.Wildlife encounters are part of the draw, though Hobbs is candid about expectations."The encounters with the animals are frequent but not guaranteed," Hobbs said.For those who prefer to stay cool, the park's air-conditioned nature center sits just steps from the boardwalk.For Hobbs, the park is more than a job it is a connection to his childhood."I grew up not too far from here and so this is like what I used to run around in when I was a kid with my brother. This is just like my old backyard, where I used to go fishing with my dad," Hobbs said. ...read more read less