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Staircase into a deep sinkhole

Gainesville

Home of the University of Florida, Gainesville has many small urban parks with trails. Surrounded by larger natural lands, it is one of the best bike-friendly cities in Florida


Resources

Resources for exploring the area
North Florida Panhandle Explorers Guide book cover Five Star Trails Gainesville Ocala book cover 50 Hikes in North Florida book cover Hikers Guide to the Sunshine State book cover  
Disclosure: As authors and affiliates, we receive earnings when you buy these through our links. This helps us provide public information on this website.


Exploring Gainesville

Home to the University of Florida, Gainesville is surrounded with outdoor recreation opportunities. This is a bike-friendly city, with bike commuters and students using its many dedicated bike paths.

The City of Gainesville has set aside many smaller public lands within city limits to conserve unique natural features.

Beyond city limits, you’ll find plenty of places to play, especially to the east, where conservation lands protect portions of the shorelines of the many lakes within Alachua County.

To the west are the springs of the Santa Fe and Suwannee Rivers in High Springs, Bell, and Trenton.

The biggest and most obvious destination for outdoor recreation is Paynes Prairie. It’s a landform defining the south rim of the city, protected by a string of parks and preserves.

The popular Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail extends east from Boulware Springs, the city’s original water source.

It’s an access point for both the trail, Sweetwater Preserve, and the northern portion of Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park. Several state parks also surround the city and nearby communities in Alachua County.

Trails and Parks near Gainesville

Alfred Ring Park Trail Alfred A. Ring Park Featuring a dense slope forest along Hogtown Creek with old-growth trees and rare wildflowers along Appalachian-style ravines, this is a scenic hike in the heart of Gainesville
South Levee Barr Hammock Preserve Barr Hammock Preserve Circling Levy Prairie at Barr Hammock Preserve provides a glimmer of understanding of the chain of prairies that William Bartram saw during his 1774 traverse of the region
Bivens Arm Bivens Arm Nature Park The City of Gainesville's very first nature park, Bivens Arm surrounds a marshy "arm" of Paynes Prairie, where trees tower above the network of nature trails.
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.
Oak hammock along the Chacala Trail Chacala Trail For the longest loop hike in Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, tackle the Chacala Trail for a 6.2-mile circuit that brings you to a view of Chacala Pond
Cofrin Nature Park Cofrin Nature Park One of Gainesville's urban nature parks, Cofrin Nature Park is right near the Oaks Mall on Newberry Rd and features a half-mile trail in a shady forest
Devils Millhopper Nature Trail Devil’s Millhopper Nature Trail The Devils Millhopper Nature Trail circles the lip of an enormous sinkhole before plunging down into it on a series of staircases and landings with views of natural waterfalls.
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
Dudley Farm Dudley Farm Historic State Park For a ramble through a authentic Florida pioneer homestead, visit Dudley Farm Historic State Park, which interprets the life of the 1800s Florida family that lived here
Ecopassage Observation Boardwalk Ecopassage Observation Boardwalk Providing the easiest-to-reach panorama of Paynes Prairie, the Ecopassage Observation Boardwalk encourages you to stop and take it all in
Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail One of North Florida's oldest bike paths, the Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail provides a mostly shaded rural ride
Footpath along winding creek in greenery of forest Hogtown Creek Greenway As Hogtown Creek threads its way through modern-day Gainesville, step into the past along a string of urban nature preserves.
John Mahon Nature Park John Mahon Nature Park Ten acres isn't a lot for a natural area, but at John Mahon Nature Park in Gainesville, it's plenty for a quick, refreshing walk in the woods off Newberry Road.
La Chua alligators La Chua Trail There are a handful of places that stand out as excellent locations for wildlife watching in Florida, but the best place to see alligators is in the home of the Gators, Gainesville
Lake Trail boardwalk Paynes Prairie Lake Trail Along the Lake Trail at Paynes Prairie Preserve, Lake Wauberg and the wildlife that lives in it is the star attraction
Path through deciduous forest Loblolly Woods Nature Park Protecting 159 acres of lush forests along the confluence of Possum Creek and Hogtown Creek, Loblolly Woods Nature Park is a beauty spot in urban Gainesville.
Longleaf Flatwoods Reserve 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.
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings home Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park At Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park, docents in 1940s dress take you through the living and working space of this Pulitzer-winning novelist beloved by regional historians for her accurate depictions of rural North Florida.
Mill Creek Preserve Mill Creek Preserve Mill Creek Preserve encompasses 5-plus miles of hiking on nearly 1,200 acres of unexpected delights in an area well-known for its sinkholes and disappearing streams.
Jack-in-the-pulpit along a clear creek Moonshine Creek Trails Delicate Appalachian wildflowers bloom in the deep shade of a slope forest surrounding Moonshine Creek, a stream that vanishes into an enormous marshy sinkhole.
Morningside Nature Center (2) 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.
Paynes Prairie pickerelweed blooms 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
Poe Springs Nature Trail Poe Springs Park At Poe Springs Park, the Poe Springs Nature Trail carries you across a landscape shaped by water acting on limestone, where surface rock is obvious and studded with fossils.
Prairie Creek Boardwalk Prairie Creek Boardwalk Under the dense canopy of a hardwood forest, the Prairie Creek Boardwalk provides a unique perspective on the creek that links Paynes Prairie and Newnans Lake.
Prairie Creek at Prairie Creek Preserve 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
Broad path through tall trees in open forest San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park Florida's weird karst geology meets a forest of towering hardwood trees in this botanically significant preserve on the edge of Gainesville.
Sweetwater Preserve Sweetwater Preserve On the eastern side of Sweetwater Preserve, hike a gentle loop through the woods along Sweetwater Branch.
Sweetwater Wetlands Park Gainesville Sweetwater Wetlands Park A gem for Gainesville, Sweetwater Wetlands Park offers a unique perspective on Paynes Prairie
UF NATL Nature Trails UF NATL Nature Trails Circling restoration and natural areas on the campus of the University of Florida, the UF NATL Nature Trails provide an excellent orientation to Florida's native trees, plants, and grasses.
Tower at Paynes Prairie Wacahoota Trail Savor the view from five stories up as you scan the horizon for wild horses from the observation tower on the south rim of Paynes Prairie
Watermelon Pond Watermelon Pond WEA With more than 4,200 acres in this FWC Wildlife Environmental Area, Watermelon Pond WEA offers both solitude and scenery along a vast system of prairie habitats.

Recent Articles

Paynes Prairie blooms Paynes Prairie: A North Florida Gem (7/31/2019) A natural landform between Gainesville and Micanopy, Paynes Prairie is an immense and ever-changing basin
Staircase into Devils Millhopper Descent into Devils Millhopper (6/9/2019) Devils Millhopper State Park debuted a new staircase into the sinkhole on June 5. It has 100 fewer steps and yet is less steep and broader than the prior version.

More Articles County Parks City Parks


NEARBY: Alachua, Archer, Bronson, Cross Creek, Hawthorne, High Springs, Lake City, Micanopy, Ocala, Trenton, Waldo, Williston | ALONG: Paynes Prairie | PART OF: North Florida

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Our recent park & trail updates in this region

Broad needle strewn path beneath tall pines

Julington-Durbin Preserve

Julington-Durbin Preserve
Loblolly bay and sweetgum trees along a footpath

Graham Swamp West

Graham Swamp West
Riverfront with picnic tables

Chastain-Seay Park

Chastain-Seay Park
Tannic stream sluicing through riverine forest

Santa Fe River Preserve Gracy Trail

Santa Fe River Preserve Gracy Trail

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