Named after the couple who donated the land to Alachua Conservation Trust over 20 years ago, Saarinen Preserve protects nearly 80 acres of land in the forests west of Gainesville.
A network of multiuse trails is open to hiking, biking, and equestrian use. The narrative in this article follows a loop using portions of the Red, Yellow, and White trails.
Walking into the shadeResources
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Overview
Location: Newberry
Length: 1.2 miles
Trailhead: 29.684028, -82.540833
Address: 3208 NW 186th Street, Newberry
Fees: Free
Restrooms: None
Land manager: Alachua Conservation Trust
Phone: 352-373-1078
Open sunrise to sunset. Leashed dogs welcome.
Directions
From Interstate 75 at the north end of Gainesville, take exit 390 and head west on NW 39th Ave for 2.8 miles. Turn left onto NW 143rd St. In 0.4 mile, turn right onto NW 32nd Ave, and continue for 2.7 miles. The trailhead will be on the left after a sharp turn in the road.
Hike
Starting at the trailhead kiosk, walk towards the southeast corner of the parking area, and look for a gap in the fence to begin your hike along a short section of the Red Trail.
Painted posts serve as trail markers, leading the way alongside the road for a few hundred feet before veering off into a lush hardwood hammock.
Trailhead kioskReaching the first trail junction in less than a tenth of a mile, stay to the left to begin a clockwise loop along the Yellow Trail.
A shaggy carpet of green grasses borders the sandy corridor as it winds past beautyberry shrubs sporting wide, velvety leaves.
Yellow blazed postA thick canopy of mixed hardwoods provides abundant shade as the well-trodden path winds through the forest for a half mile before opening to a small clearing flanked by tall pines.
The topography changes as the trail curves northward, where limestone protrudes from gently rolling terrain.
Tall pinesTurning right at an intersection with the White Trail, walk through patches of open forest as songbirds chirp in the bushes and raptors circle high above.
At 1.1 miles, pass a rustic bench next to a memorial stone for Arthur Saarinen.
From this point, follow the Yellow Trail eastward along an access road through planted pines to reach the trailhead in 0.1 mile.
Bench alongside memorial stoneTrail Map
Explore More!
Video
Hiking Saarinen Preserve
Nearby Adventures
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. 
Blues Creek Ravine Preserve A pair of loop trails connected by a bridge over Blues Creek wander rolling landscapes under the shady canopy of an upland hardwood forest.
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.
Watermelon Pond Preserve With more than 4,200 acres in this FWC Wildlife Environmental Area, Watermelon Pond Preserve offers both solitude and scenery along a vast system of prairie habitats.
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