Where Hogtown Creek rises north of downtown Gainesville, Hogtown Creek Headwaters Nature Park encompasses 84 acres formerly used in part as a dairy farm.
In front of the 1890 farmhouse, now a nature education center, a green space invites play.
An interpretive loop aimed at children starts at its far edge, delving into a mix of habitats leading to the birthplace of Gainesville’s most well-known waterway.
The mild side of Hogtown Creek Headwaters Nature ParkResources
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Overview
Location: Gainesville
Length: 0.9 miles
Trailhead: 29.696567, -82.343049
Address: 1500 NW 45th Ave, Gainesville
Fees: Free
Restroom: At the trailhead
Land Manager: City of Gainesville
Phone: 352-334-5067
Open 8-6 Nov-Apr, 8-8 May-Oct. Leashed dogs welcome; pick up after your pet.
Directions
Take US 441 north from University Ave in Gainesville for 3 miles. Turn left on NW 45th Ave. After 0.3 miles, the park entrance is on the right.
Hike
From the parking area, walk up to the kiosk for an overview map of the hike. At the top end of the green space is the Hartman homestead.
The family established a dairy here in 1888, with subsequent generations living on the land through 2006.
A former homesteadJoining the concrete path towards the restrooms, begin a clockwise progression at the post with a footprint and arrow.
The compacted gravel path swoops past a picnic pavilion. Circle an open green with a large playground in its center, passing exercise equipment stations.
Gravel path around the grassy open spaceAt the far edge of the circle, the Track Trail begins at a large sign with a map of its half mile loop. A natural surface pathway, it enters the forest adjoining a brochure box.
A linear path under the oaks meets a T intersection at the start of the loop. Per the arrow, bear right at the interpretive sign on invasive species.
Map at start of footpathAlso marked with blue blazes, the footpath is easily distinguished against the otherwise leafy forest floor.
Proceeding through climax sandhills with many laurel oaks, pass a pair of cabbage palms. Whisps of Spanish moss dangle above.
Short-needled loblolly pines join the mix, the understory becoming a thicket of young oaks.
Mixed uplandsCurving at a double blaze at a quarter mile, meet what feels like a trail junction with an old access point from a neighborhood, a post and sign pointing away from it to the left.
Amid largely younger oaks in this former grazing land for dairy cattle, pass the sturdy bones of an aged live oak, leafless but covered in resurrection fern.
Bear left at the signReach an interpretive sign showing the full flow of Hogtown Creek through Gainesville, the tributaries feeding it, and some of the parks along it.
Rising in these seasonally flooded pine flatwoods, it vanishes into the Floridan Aquifer at Haile Sink at Lake Kanapaha.
The flow of Hogtown Creek across GainesvilleCross a wooden bridge over a seasonal drainage of the flatwoods, edged by some mature pines and oaks.
The path widens and the understory opens up, allowing for long views. At a split in the trail, bear right. This blazed spur descends slightly towards larger trees.
Wooden bridgeNetted chain ferns signals damper soil. Cinnamon ferns join the mix. The density of cabbage palms and the appearance of bluestem palm increases.
This spur ends at the headwaters of Hogtown Creek at a half mile. At the base of a very large pine, the creek is little more than a shallow slough accumulating in a low spot.
It may have no flow at all, just disjunct puddles. Nonetheless, it is cradled in a lushly saturated forest.
The headwaters of Hogtown CreekReturn along this spur, noting the massive double-trunked spruce pine, a species that thrives in karst. Turn right to continue along the main loop.
Through the open understory, the wetter part of the forest remains visible. Cross another low bridge, this one over a fern-lined depression.
Spruce pines and laurel oaks tower overheadAt 0.7 mile, a worn side spur leads to a more well-defined channel of Hogtown Creek twisting around a deeply eroded curve.
Back on the main loop, it’s a quick return to the start of the circuit at the Invasive Species sign.
Hogtown CreekTurn right to exit the Track Trail to the graveled circuit around the playground. Make a left to complete that circuit past more fitness equipment stations.
Walk around the back of the farmhouse to return to the parking area by 0.9 miles.
Resuming the gravel circuit around the grassy play spaceTrail Map
Explore More!
Learn more about the Hogtown Creek Greenway
Hogtown Creek Greenway As Hogtown Creek threads its way through modern-day Gainesville, step into the past along a string of urban nature preserves.Video
Hiking Hogtown Creek Headwaters Nature Park
Slideshow
See our photos from Hogtown Creek Headwaters Nature Park
Nearby Adventures
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.
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.
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.
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.
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- A.J. Henry Park - November 1, 2026
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