Florida Hikes

Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides

Sweetwater Wetlands Park Gainesville

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.

INTERACTIVE MAP

Paynes Prairie Lake Trail

Micanopy   0.7 miles

Along the Lake Trail at Paynes Prairie Preserve, Lake Wauberg and the wildlife that lives in it is the star attraction.

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

High Springs   1.5 miles

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

Gainesville   1.4 miles

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

Gainesville   4.7 miles

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.

Saarinen Preserve

Gainesville   1.2 miles

At Saarinen Preserve near Newberry, a series of color-coded loops wander across mixed pine and hardwood hammock communities teeming with wildlife.

Santa Fe River Preserve Gracy Trail

Alachua   2.1 miles

Peaceful pathways wind alongside a tranquil creek through shady woodlands, offering a quiet hike among the timid wildlife that call the Santa Fe River Basin home.