Satellite view of Edward Medard Conservation Park Canoe/Kayak Launch
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Edward Medard Conservation Park Canoe/Kayak Launch

Also known as: Edward Medard Park - Canoe/Kayak Launch
Edward Medard Reservoir · Hillsborough County, Florida
Last verified: July 31, 2026
Not closed, but not normal either. Hillsborough County's wording is conditional: access for smaller vessels such as canoes or kayaks "should not be affected" by the drawdown. "Should not be" is not "is not," which is why this is graded available-with-conditions rather than open.
The reservoir has been partially drawn down since 9 June 2025 with no published refill timeline. Expect exposed bank and soft footing between the launch point and the water; no source describes the actual condition.
FWC's inventory row for HL00010AA reads Status "Open for Business" with no comments. Directionally right — this is the only open access — but it conveys a normal-conditions picture that is false.
Idle speed only applies across the entire reservoir to all boats, per FWC.
Day-use gate: 7 PM spring/summer, 6 PM fall/winter. The $30 After Hours Fishing pass is a fishing permit and does not authorize launching or retrieving after closing.
The dam's three downstream emergency sirens test on the first Saturday of each month at noon for about 15 seconds, as announced by SWFWMD in 2009. A real alert alternates three minutes of sound with three minutes of silence and means evacuate to higher ground. No post-2009 source confirms the test schedule still runs.
laneUnknown ramp
LimitedTrailer parking
Spring/Summer 8a to 7p; Fall/Winter 8a to 6p — park-wide hours per Hillsborough CountyHours
Directions
Craft Access
Motorboat
Kayak / Canoe
Jet Ski / PWC
Large 22ft+
Site Details
Conditions change rapidly due to water levels, prop wash, and weather. Always visually inspect before backing down.
RampUnknown, lanes
Water DepthNot published. No source describes this launch's condition under the drawdown or how far the waterline has receded from it.
DockUnknown. FWC records DockType Unknown for this record.
Trailer ParkingLimited / unposted
Crowding With the trailer ramp shut, paddlecraft are the only vessels on this reservoir, so what pressure exists is concentrated here and on the bank. No attendance figures are published. Park gate hours cap the day at 7 PM in spring and summer, 6 PM in fall and winter.
Plan B — if this lot is full If the water has pulled too far from the launch point to carry a boat down, the park still offers bank fishing — FWC confirms "bank fishing and self-propelled watercraft opportunities are still available" — plus a boardwalk, a 3-mile hiking and equestrian trail, disc golf and a campground. For a trailered boat, Hillsborough County's 27 August 2025 post names Riverview Civic Center, Harney Park and Baker Creek as other county freshwater launches, on other waters.
Fee$2 per-vehicle park entry applies; whether the $5 boat launch fee applies to a car-top canoe or kayak is not addressed
HoursSpring/Summer 8 AM to 7 PM; Fall/Winter 8 AM to 6 PM — park-wide hours per Hillsborough County
SeasonYear-round day use; currently the only permitted way onto the water
StaffedYes - gate attendant collects the daily fee
AccessibilityFWC records a flush restroom marked accessible for this record and AccessibilityLevel Unknown. We found no statement about whether a paddler with limited mobility can reach the receded waterline, and given the ongoing drawdown that is a real unknown rather than a formality.
Not Available Fish cleaning · Fishing pier · Pier
Scout's Notes
Ramp Quirks & Etiquette
Verify The Spot
FWC places this hand launch at 27.9230, -82.1681, about 0.4 miles west of the main ramp — but no county page names or maps a separate canoe launch there, and the county speaks only generally of paddlecraft being usable. Phone (813) 757-3802 before driving to the pin.
Renting Beats Guessing
Canoes and kayaks rent at the park entry station: $25 for up to four hours, $10 per additional hour, tax included. With the ramp closed that is the least complicated way onto the water — it puts the question of where to put in onto the staff who are there.
Fees At The Gate
The $2 per-vehicle park entry applies. Whether the $5 boat launch fee covers a car-top canoe or kayak is not addressed on any county page — all of them describe it as a ramp fee — so ask at the gate rather than assuming either way.
Hours Run Seasonal
8 AM to 7 PM in spring and summer, 8 AM to 6 PM in fall and winter, park-wide per the county. FWC's row for this launch says a flat 8 to 6, which understates summer by an hour.
Where The Water Is
Nobody publishes it. The reservoir has been drawn down since 9 June 2025 with no refill timeline, and no source describes how far the waterline has receded from this launch or what the footing is like. Expect exposed bank and soft ground between you and the water.
Hillsborough County Parks & Recreation park page, Conservation Parks & Boat Launch Passes page, boat ramps page and 27 Aug 2025 newsroom post; FWC Edward Medard Reservoir site and forecast page; FWC Florida Boat Ramp Inventory row HL00010AA as supplied in the authoring brief; Osprey Observer, 13 Jun 2025. County and FWC pages re-read 31 July 2026.
About This Lake