A 30-acre tract within the city of Gainesville, this patch of preserve is the legacy of Mrs. Gladys Cofrin, an active environmentalist who had a horse farm and family homestead on this site. Thankfully, she passed it along to the people of Gainesville instead of selling out for yet another subdivision. The short nature trail through the park provides a shady walk through several habitats, including along a seepage stream and through upland forest.
Resources
Overview
Location: Gainesville
Length: 0.5 mile round-trip with a small loop
Trailhead: 29.660186, -82.394850
Fees / Permits: none
Difficulty: easy to moderate
Bug factor: low to moderate
Land Manager: City of Gainesville
Phone: 352-334-5067
Since entrance to the park is controlled by gates, make sure you note the time the park closes and leave before it does. The park is open from 8 to 6, Nov-Apr, and 8 to 8, May-Oct. There are picnic tables and a portable toilet at the trailhead, plus a bike rack for passing bicyclists to park and take a walk on the nature trail. The former home will become an environmental education center, once funds are found for renovation. Parking spaces are limited.
Directions
From I-75 at Newberry Road, drive east, passing the Oaks Mall. Stay in the left lane. When NW 8th Street splits off of Newberry Road, turn left onto NW 8th Street. The park is on the left almost immediately; look for the sign.
Hike
As the trail leaves the parking area, it passes the picnic tables and immediately crosses over Beville Creek. A short side trail leads to an overlook with a bench, a nice spot to sit in the shade and write in your journal. The trail continues uphill beneath tall loblolly pines and water oaks, magnolias, and chestnut trees. The area was once a horse pasture but has reverted to upland forest.
Past an interpretive sign for a seepage slope, the trail reaches a decision point at a loop. Turn right and follow the path beneath the oaks, noticing the bracken fern in the understory. Resurrection fern stands out in sharp green relief after a rain. Beville Creek is born of rainfall on these upland areas, which seeps from the slope into the stream. You can see some houses in the distance, behind a screen of forest.
A side trail leads to another bench and dead ends, passing a rotted-out loblolly pine that was killed by southern pine beetles. It’s odd how the dense heart-of-pine remains, with the outer wall of the pine sloughed off. The main trail comes back to the end of the loop, and you continue along the walk back to the parking area.