Hiking Alfred A. Ring Park

A strip of dense slope forest along Hogtown Creek with old-growth trees and rare wildflowers along Appalachian-style ravines, this destination is a delight to hike.

Gainesville’s first linear park, Alfred Ring Park was a gift to the city from a University of Florida college professor who enjoyed the outdoors and donated the acreage to the county.

He was present for the ribbon cutting when the park opened in 1990, and lived to the age of 101.

Resources

Five Star Trails Gainesville Ocala book cover

North Florida Panhandle Explorers Guide book cover

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Overview

Location: Gainesville
Length: 1.5 mile round-trip
Trailhead: 29.674283, -82.347019
Address: 1801 NW 23rd Blvd, Gainesville
Fees: None
Restroom: adjoining the picnic pavilion and playground
Land manager: City of Gainesville
Phone: 352-334-5067

Open 8 AM to 6 PM Nov-Apr, 8 AM – 8 PM May-Oct. Leashed pets are welcome.

Although you may see visitors wade in the creek, it is against park rules, and more importantly, could be a risk to your health. Hogtown Creek is contaminated with a lot of runoff from nearby neighborhoods.

Directions

From the corner of University Avenue and US 441, drive north on US 441 to Glen Springs Rd (NW 23rd Blvd). Follow it to the entrance for Alfred A. Ring Park on the left, entered through the Elks Lodge parking lot. Your GPS may try to steer you to the walk-in entrance to the park off NW 16th St, where there is no parking.

Hike

Leaving the parking area, you descend towards a broad iron bridge that stretches across Hogtown Creek.

It’s a climb into the upland forest on a nice, broad natural footpath. Skinny loblolly pines tower overhead.

Near a trail coming in from the left, you pass an interpretive sign, “Discover the Habitats of Ring Park.” Look for these detailed signs throughout the park.

The trail reaches a clearing with restrooms, a playground, and a picnic shelter. The trail to the right heads for a back gate into a neighborhood.

Pond in the wildflower garden at Alfred Ring Park

Continue straight ahead to walk through the Emily S. Ring wildflower garden, with native plants – including silver-tinged saw palmetto – accompanied by colorful azalea and camellia.

After a quarter mile, the trail descends out of the cultivated wildflower garden into the upland forest.

In spring, the hillside is carpeted with smooth Solomon’s seal, a wildflower identified with the southern Appalachians.

Passing a trail junction, continue straight ahead and downhill into the slope forest, where ancient Southern magnolias cast broad pools of shade.

One of the many boardwalks at Alfred Ring Park

At a half mile, the trail reaches a T intersection with a trail paralleling the creek. Turn right to follow this route downstream.

A bench overlooks a pretty horseshoe curve in Hogtown Creek, just before you start walking down a broad boardwalk.

Looking up from a creek to a boardwalk on a bluff

A series of boardwalks parallel Hogtown Creek

The creek basin is a deeply folded landscape, with terrain and views reminiscent of a mountain ravine in North Carolina.

The trail traverses numerous boardwalks and there are several off-trail overlooks for a good perspective of the creek.

Pass an interpretive marker on “Seepage Streams,” which describes how Hogtown Creek is naturally fed by shallow groundwater percolating through the sand.

Turn around at this kiosk at the south end of the trail

Just past it is the turnaround point for this walk at the pedestrian entrance off NW 16th Avenue. Return back along the same route to the bench you encountered above the horseshoe bend.

Past the bench after 1.2 miles, continue straight, with a sign alerting you this is the direction to the observation deck and parking area.

Sign pointing to observation deck or parking area

Take the right fork at this sign

As the trail works its way through a flatter floodplain, you can see a water-filled sink to the right.

The interpretive sign at the observation deck explains how Hogtown Creek is now fed by Gainesville’s runoff, which means that although it is pretty, it’s not very clean.

Enjoy the many views of Hogtown Creek

Leaving the deck, turn right to follow the trail uphill. Meet the next trail junction and turn right, walk between a row of towering Southern magnolias as the trail climbs uphill.

When you reach the T intersection, turn right to head to the parking area. Cross the bridge and reach the parking area at the trailhead after 1.5 miles.