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

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   7.5 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.

Serenola Forest Preserve

Gainesville   1.0 miles

Among shaded woodlands north of Paynes Prairie, a mile of marked trails wind through forested landscapes, passing quiet picnic spots along the way.

The Moon Tree Garden

Florida's most unique arboretum features a circle of sycamores honoring the Apollo missions, all here thanks to an Apollo 14 project for the U.S. Forest Service to take tree seedings into orbit around the moon.

UF NATL Nature Trails

Gainesville   1.5 miles

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

Micanopy   0.7 miles

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 Preserve

Gainesville   5.5 miles

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.