Alafia River State Park is a former phosphate mine. Mining altered the landscape and created new landforms such as several small lakes and steep grades.
A bottomland forest bordering the South Prong of the Alafia River was protected from mining operations.
The park's 7,717 acres were donated to the state by previous and current mining companies.
The park sits on a former mine in the area known as Fort Lonesome. According the Hillsborough County Historic Resources Survey Report, "Fort Lonesome has the distinction for having the most origin accounts for its name."