Florida Hikes

Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides

Pine forest with blue blazed pine tree

Buck Bay Flatwoods Preserve

An excellent example of conservation of natural lands, Buck Bay Flatwoods provides a pair of loop trails through a gradient of habitats including restored pine flatwoods.

Gainesville (29.713503, -82.277625)   3.0 miles  

Buck Bay Flatwoods Preserve has been a work in progress since 2013, when a large parcel was acquired though the Alachua County Forever Program.

Since then, additional surrounding lands have been added to conserve over 630 acres, providing protection for several endangered species.

The preserve was opened to the public in 2022, offering over three miles of trails for hiking and bicycling.

Grassy road and burned forest Grassy road through flatwoods recently burned for their health

Resources

Resources for exploring the area
Five Star Trails Gainesville Ocala book cover North Florida Panhandle Explorers Guide book cover 50 Hikes in North Florida book cover Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover Paddlers Guide Florida
 
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Overview

Location: Gainesville
Length: 3 mile loop
Trailhead: 29.713503, -82.277625
Address: 6502 N CR 225, Gainesville, FL 32609
Fees: Free
Restrooms: No
Land manager: Alachua County
Phone: 352-264-6803

Open 7 AM to 6 PM Oct-Mar, 7 AM to 8 PM Apr-Sep. Dogs are allowed on a leash.

Tall pine in distance along path in pine flatwoods

Directions


 
From the intersection of Interstate 75 and SR 331 in Gainesville, head east on SR 331 for 5.4 miles. At its intersection of SR 26, continue straight onto SR 24. In 4.3 miles, make a left onto NE 55th Pl, then turn right onto NE 39th St in a tenth of a mile. In a half mile, the parking area is located on the left side of the road.

Hike

From the parking area head west through a gap in the fence towards a kiosk with paper maps.

Many of the natural communities in the preserve are fire-dependent, and prescribed burns are preformed routinely as part of a management plan.

Information regarding the burn program is listed on the kiosk.

Fenced in trailhead area Trailhead

Starting the hike along a wide access road, continue for 0.1 mile before turning left at a post marked with orange arrows and the number one.

A series of posts lead the way through pine flatwoods habitat that is undergoing restoration after countless years of fire suppression.

As the thick underbrush is slowly removed, showy wildflowers will cover the forest floor in the spring and fall.

Stark delination of burned and non-burned forest Flatwoods after a recent prescribed burn

In 0.4 mile, marker number three indicates an intersection with the orange Dome Swamp Loop and the Lakeview Loop.

Turn left, following blue blazed trees as the trail enters swampier terrain on a raised gravel surface.

Gravel road in forest Gravel road through the pines

Footing can be tricky on this terrain as blazes follow the road for 0.3 mile before turning right onto a wide pathway bordered with tall pines and shrubs.

Tracing the edge of remnants from an old timber farm that is slowly returning to wetlands, a bench sits next to the water for quiet reflection.

Bench facing forested swamp Pondside bench

As the route continues westward, the soil becomes drier before the trail opens to a savanna of saw palmettos dotted with pines.

This panoramic view narrows quickly while the path becomes a pine needle-laden corridor through dense underbrush.

Pine flatwoods Pine flatwoods scenery

At 1.6 miles, an optional quarter mile side trip leads to a clearing to view wildlife.

Under a nearby tree, a bench offers a spot to rest, near the halfway point in the loop.

Clearing in forest Wildlife clearing

As the trail skirts alongside low swampy areas to the east, portions may be seasonally inundated with water.

This section is avoided by heading straight, following markers 16 and 15 back to the trailhead.

Staying on the blue trail will conclude the hike in a half mile after passing though the north end of the property, a flatwoods area that is showing signs of habitat renewal.

Damp spots in vehicle tracks on forest road Puddles on the trail

Trail Map

Buck Bay Flatwoods Preserve Trail Map

Explore More!

Video

A virtual walk in the woods at Buck Bay Flatwoods Preserve

Nearby Adventures

Sandhill forest Morningside Nature Center Since 1970, Morningside Nature Center has been Gainesville's flagship nature park, protecting the largest stand of longleaf pine savanna remaining within city limits.
Paved path through lush swamp forest Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail One of North Florida’s oldest bike paths, the 15.3 mile linear Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail provides a mostly shaded rural ride.
Waterway and wetlands in cypress strand Prairie Creek Preserve In the deep shade of the floodplain of Prairie Creek near Gainesville, Prairie Creek Preserve is a beauty spot provided to the public by the Alachua Conservation Trust.
Devils Millhopper stairs down Devils Millhopper Geological State Park It's the trickle of water that catches your attention, the steady drip and splash down the rocky rim and into the depths of one of Florida's largest sinkholes at Devils Millhopper Geological State Park

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Chris Stevens
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