Resources
Resources for exploring the area
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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 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
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 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.
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.
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 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
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 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 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 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 One of North Florida's oldest bike paths, the Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail provides a mostly shaded rural ride
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 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 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 Along the Lake Trail at Paynes Prairie Preserve, Lake Wauberg and the wildlife that lives in it is the star attraction
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 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 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 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.
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 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 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 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 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 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
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 On the eastern side of Sweetwater Preserve, hike a gentle loop through the woods along Sweetwater Branch. 
Sweetwater Wetlands Park A gem for Gainesville, Sweetwater Wetlands Park offers a unique perspective on Paynes Prairie
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. 
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 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: A North Florida Gem (7/31/2019) A natural landform between Gainesville and Micanopy, Paynes Prairie is an immense and ever-changing basin
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.NEARBY: Alachua, Archer, Bronson, Cross Creek, Hawthorne, High Springs, Lake City, Micanopy, Ocala, Trenton, Waldo, Williston | ALONG: Paynes Prairie | PART OF: North Florida