Barr Hammock Preserve

From the air, it looks like an arm of Paynes Prairie, detached by human activity.

West of Micanopy adjoining Interstate 75, Levy Prairie is an important link in a chain of natural prairies in an arc from the edge of Gainesville southwest towards Williston.

Expanse of prairie with pond close — Levy Prairie at Barr Hammock Preserve

Owned and managed by Alachua County as part of their natural lands program, Barr Hammock Preserve has more than doubled in size to 12,000 acres since its inception.

Wildlife can now move unimpeded by roads from Levy Prairie to Ledwith Prairie, the next massive prairie to the south.

Floodplain forest separates the two prairies

Two separate trail entrances provide a gateway to this vast conservation area. The hike below follows the original Levy Loop Trail around Levy Prairie, the first trail to open in the preserve.

It is a 6.8 mile loop around the prairie with absolutely no shortcuts and a lot of full sun. You either hike out and back from the trailhead, or commit to the whole thing.

A sign marks the North and South Levees near the trailhead

By comparison, an extensive network of interconnected trails now graces Barr Hammock South, with lengthy rides possible for equestrians.

Numerous hiking routes are possible, but a 4.2 mile loop will introduce you to a variety of shaded habitats.

Tangled forest of lyonia and bluestem palm

Barr Hammock Preserve South Miles of crisscrossing trails span strikingly different environments from shady swamps and hammocks to open pine forests in the southern portion of Barr Hammock Preserve.

Hiking at Barr Hammock South (Chris Stevens)

Resources

Resources for exploring the area

Five Star Trails Gainesville Ocala book cover

North Florida Panhandle Explorers Guide book cover

Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover

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Overview

Location: Micanopy
Length: 6.8 mile loop
Trailhead: 29.516451,-82.306449
Address: 14920 SE 11th Dr, Micanopy
Fees: Free
Restroom: None
Land Manager: Alachua County
Phone: 352-264-6868

Open 8-6 Nov-Apr, 8-8 May-Oct. Bicyclists and equestrians welcome. Most of the loop is in full sun. Use sunscreen and a hat.

For your safety and theirs, dogs are not permitted because of the alligator population in Levy Prairie. Avoid getting within 20 feet of an alligator.

Stay on the levee, as the prairie itself is dangerously muddy and the outer side of the loop has homes along it for the first mile.

Directions

Ledwith Prairie Trails

From Interstate 75 exit 374, Micanopy, follow CR 234 east to US 441. Turn north on US 441 and continue 1 mile to Wacahoota Road. Turn left and drive 0.6 mile, crossing over I-75 on an overpass. Immediately after the overpass, take the first left – a sharp, doubling-back left – onto SE 11 Drive. Continue down this sometimes-bumpy dirt road for 0.6 mile to the trailhead.

Hike

Enter the pass-through stile and stay to the right at the trail junction to walk counterclockwise around the loop to tackle the shadeless North Levee first.

A floodplain forest with a natural marsh edges the outer rim of the prairie encircled by the levee system. Frogs and birds provide a continual chorus.

Marsh near the beginning of the walk

Wind rushes across the water in this broad open space, acting like a giant swamp cooler in the early morning. Scattered cypresses and red maples break the flat surface.

The first of several comical warning signs drive home an important safety point: do not step off the levee for any reason.

Warning sign with cartoon drawings of mud, alligators, police

Warning sign along the hike

As the broad levee turns a corner, the big reveal happens: Levy Prairie is vast. Wildlife scurries, plops, and chatters through the wetlands.

A giant rock on the right turns out to be a gigantic sculpture in front of an even bigger home. A handful of homesteads are hidden behind the trees on the prairie rim.

An alligator floats in the open water

Passing a pasture on the right, the levee makes a sharp left, heading away from the prairie rim and towards open water.

A line runs across the prairie, perhaps a canal cut for the cattle ranch. Beyond is a little bit of open water.

Open water in the prairie basin

A mile in, prairies flank both sides of the levee. Marker 2 marks 1.5 miles into the loop. Dog fennel obscures the marsh, but the aroma of deep thick mud hangs in the air.

Sand cordgrass grows in clumps in the shallower wetlands. Watch out for the occasional divot in the levee as well as fire ant mounds.

Palms and oaks on the prairie rim

As the rim of the prairie is a nice mix of live oaks and cabbage palms, it’s a reminder of what William Bartram described in 1774 as he visited the village of Cuscowilla along Paynes Prairie.

Paynes Prairie is not far from here by horseback. It’s highly likely Bartram rode along the edge of this prairie as well.

A curve in the levee

After 2.7 miles, reach a junction where equestrian trails continue west. Turn left, leaving the North Levee to join a levee cutting straight through the heart of the prairie.

It crosses culverts with manual valves enabling the movement of water from the prairie into a lower elevation wetland on the right. Flanked by canals, it curves to enter the forest.

Carnivorous bladderwort thrives near the culverts

Make a sharp left onto South Levee. A shady corridor stretches ahead as you walk along the remains of an old fenceline with weathered wooden posts.

The sides of this levee are flanked by a canal covered in water spangles and a tannic stream flowing away from the prairie into a gum swamp below.

South Levee has better views and better birding

Passing occasional big breaks through the trees along it, look out across the sweep of the prairie. On the right, the blooms of American lotus may catch your eye.

By 3.5 miles, make a slight jog to head down a long shady straightway. A towering loblolly pine on the left has three trunks, each topped with its own distinct crown.

The pitchfork-shaped trunk of a large loblolly pine

South Levee continues its odd little jogs for the remainder of the hike, keeping you in the shade of large trees.

Many of the loblolly pines along this part of the trail are of significant size, along with a mammoth-sized sugar hackberry and some poison ivy vines in proportion to these big trees.

Royal ferns against the black water

At the base of the levee on the right, the habitat becomes a blackwater swamp. Royal ferns cast reflections against the dark, sluggish water.

Passing through the location of an old gate, continue along excellent panoramas across the prairie.

The best panoramas are from the South Levee

At 4.5 miles, make another curve, turning away from the sweeping views. The forest closes in.

American lotus drift across patches of open water. Wading birds congregate in shallow pools along the prairie’s edge.

Shallow pools with the prairie beyond

Pass through another old gate and fence at 5.4 miles, where an adjoining oak tree has absorbed a section of an old barbed wire fence.

The trail starts to lose elevation. It’s here you’re most likely to see alligators sunning on the banks. They should plop into the water as you approach.

The levee drops uncomfortably close to swamp level

Passing the next mileage marker at 5.7 miles, the trail remains low to the water before the levee gains elevation again.

Leave the open marsh behind to parallel a canal filled with shallow, tannic but clear flowing water.

Canal with dark water and swamp vegetation

The tannic canal paralleling South Levee

As the trail curves, slash pines tower overhead, the habitat transitioning from gum swamp to an island of pine flatwoods. Crossing an outflow culvert, continue down a straightaway.

Traffic noise from Interstate 75 picks up. Reaching the T intersection with the beginning of the loop, turn right to exit to the trailhead, completing a 6.8 mile hike.

Hiker walking straight ahead down a two track road

Walking down the final stretch of the South Levee

Trail Map

Explore More!

Slideshow

See our photos from the Levy Loop Trail

Nearby Adventures

Micanopy Native American Heritage Preserve On the high ground above Lake Tuscawilla, an ancient village once stood. The Micanopy Native American Heritage Preserve is dedicated to its memory and preservation.

Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park Protecting a massive natural basin of prairie between Micanopy and Gainesville, Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park combines panoramic views with wildlife watching along its trails.

Longleaf Flatwoods Reserve A worthwhile wander on water management lands, this loop hike at Longleaf Flatwoods Reserve hits the highlights of this colorful 2,850-acre preserve.

Tuscawilla Preserve Peek through thick curtains of Spanish moss beneath grandfather live oaks to watch sandhill cranes dance along the shores of an ancient lake in Micanopy.

Trail Map (PDF) Official Website