On the westernmost edge of Alachua County, Watermelon Pond is a sprawling prairie complex that was once a massive lake, a haven for wading birds, protected by both the county and FWC.
Unfortunately, the dewatering effects of continued development in the region and a nearby cement plant dried up the landscape more than five years ago, leaving only a fraction of the water behind.
Expanse of prairieProtecting more than 4,200 acres, this is one of the more remote natural lands close to Gainesville, views panoramic all along the prairie rim.
Ever-present fox squirrels and patches of rosemary scrub add to the delight of hiking this 5.5 mile double loop, which also interconnects with Goethe State Forest.
Rosemary scrubResources
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Overview
Location: Archer
Length: 5.5 mile loop
Trailhead: 29.555754,-82.606814
Address: 10700 SW 250th St, Newberry
Fees: Free
Restroom: None
Land Manager: Alachua County
Phone: 352-264-6868
Dogs are not permitted on this hike. Bring binoculars for wildlife sightings along the prairies and in the trees.
Seasonal hunting is permitted: archery in Oct and small game in Nov-Dec. Check on hunt dates with FWC in advance of your hike.
Directions
From the intersection of SR 24 and US 27/41 in Archer, drive north for 6.6 miles to CR 28 (SW 46th Ave). Turn left and drive west 1.2 miles to SW 250th St. Turn left and drive south on SW 250th St for 3.7 miles, passing the northern trailhead for Watermelon Pond en route. The road ends at Watermelon Pond Park. Once providing a boat ramp into the lake, it remains a quiet place for a picnic under the sand live oaks. Park on the left when you enter the park; the right-hand side has deep, soft sand from horse trailers turning around in a low spot.
Hike
Walk uphill to the kiosk. We saw our first fox squirrel scrambling between the sand live oaks in the parking area, a good sign for more wildlife sightings ahead.
Pick up a map. An arrow points straight down the fenceline, an inauspicious start that belies the beauty that lies beyond.
Trailhead kioskAt 0.4 mile, meet the Fox Squirrel Loop. Make a right to enter the sandhills. The trail is marked with a mixture of yellow blazes and signposts. Watch for them.
Skirt around a low prairie, often dry and filled with blackberry bushes at its lowest point. Yellow jasmine drapes over the oaks on the uphill side.
Entering the sandhillsWalk through a smidgen of rosemary scrub. Curve to the left through a patch of sandhill. A yellow double-blaze points past an open swale of prairie with rosemary along its edges.
A sand road leads left into the prairie. Pass it by. Beyond it, the trail forks. Bear left. Clusters of sandhill lupine grow in the low grass.
Sandhill lupinePass a massive rosemary bush with reindeer lichen clustered around it. Reach the end of the prairie after three-quarters of a mile.
A marker points into a patch of trees, uphill into open sandhills. Climbing up and over a small sand ridge where yellow buttons bloom in fall.
Florida rosemaryBeyond a pine with a catface from turpentine tapping, the trail curves left. At the next marker, a very old slash pine bears an enormous catface scar.
Reach a T intersection at 1 mile. Turn left to continue the loop, climbing the next hill. A broad open area appears to have been a cattle pasture, now overgrown in dog fennel.
Edge of old pastureStraight ahead is the first glimpse of the vast prairie of Watermelon Pond. Curve left to a trail junction with the sign “North Parking / South Parking.”
Turn left and walk up to the trail map on a post. Meet the junction of the Fox Squirrel Loop and the Blue Heron Loop.
Junction of the two loopsContinue down the slope, through the rim of sand live oak along the prairie’s edge, to the next marker. Turn right to start the Blue Heron Loop along the vast expanse of prairie.
Follow a forest road between stands of planted pine, meeting a trail intersection at 1.7 miles. Straight ahead is a spur to the edge of the Watermelon Pond prairie.
Start of the Blue Heron LoopMake a right at this junction to follow the Blue Heron Trail into the forest. It works its way between rows of planted pines and large sand live oaks along a prairie arm.
Leaving the shade, the trail pops out at a T intersection facing the prairie. Turn right.
Prairie viewPass a “state forest boundary” sign at the edge of Goethe State Forest. Continue on a forest road with soft sand in places. Warblers flit between the oaks.
Reaching a T intersection at the corner of the prairie, turn left. Follow a sand road along its rim, passing another heading into the woods.
Prairie rimLeaving the prairie rim to ramble between a thicket of sandhill and pine forest, reach a Y junction at 2.4 miles. The trail to the left heads to a trailhead in Goethe State Forest along CR 337.
Keep right, weaving along another arm of the prairie. A quarter mile later, the official connector to Goethe bears left.
Goethe ConnectorContinue straight ahead, with a pine-topped ridge off to your left, to stay on the Blue Heron Loop. Enter the sandhills.
Emerge on the edge into a large, open grassy area. Yellow blazes confirm the route. In the distance, a fence marks the boundary of the preserve.
Following a sand roadCurving to the right, go up and over a little stretch of sandhills. Emerge along another prairie, reaching a reverse Y intersection.
Continue straight ahead along the prairie rim, passing a path that bears left through the prairie.
The main trail stays to the right, circling the prairie rim. Pass a cluster of high-bush blueberries and sandhill lupine growing under a small longleaf pine.
Prairie expanseAt 3.4 miles, a sand road goes into the woods on the right. Go straight to see the next confirmation blaze.
Passing the other end of the path across the prairie, curve right and uphill into a pretty sand live oak hammock.
After this brief stretch of shade, drop through another prairie with forest on the far side.
Prairie crossingAfter 3.7 miles, reach a picnic area with covered picnic benches under the deep shade of live oaks. Coontie grows wild in the understory.
This spot marks the intersection with the Watermelon Pond Trail, which leads to the north (equestrian) trailhead.
Picnic areaMake a right to stay on the Blue Heron Loop, south along an old road under a shady tree canopy. Emerging into sunshine, parallel a pine plantation briefly.
At the next junction, where a sand road comes in from the right, there is a sign “North Parking / South Parking.”
Trail junctionHead towards the South Parking area, walking along the edge of an old pasture. Reach the next sign at 4 miles.
Turn right and walk down the slope, past the map, to the junction, completing the Blue Heron Loop. Turn left to start the return along the Fox Squirrel Loop.
It hugs close to the pond’s former shoreline, a rim of sand live oaks and water oaks upslope.
Old shorelinePass two sand roads on the left leading uphill. Florida rosemary thrives in the blinding white sand on the prairie’s edge.
Having been the bottom of a lake for so long, the prairie is full of swales where water may still collect. A deep sinkhole adjoins the footpath.
Where the sand road sweeps left to leave the prairie, a marker points straight ahead to follow its rim. Water sparkles in the distance, Watermelon Pond at the prairie’s heart.
Watermelon PondAs the curve continues, the full expanse becomes visible, with several homes in the far distance. Follow the prairie rim, reaching a fenceline.
After 4.6 miles, the path turns left and upslope, away from the prairie. A quick right crosses a firebreak.
Prairie rimContinue past large Florida rosemary bushes and under the brief shade of sand live oaks.
Open prairie remains visible beyond the fenceline. Most of the prairie rim is on private property, so the path roughly parallels the perimeter of the property.
Massive Florida rosemaryA bit of the prairie rim sneaks through the fence, so the trail curves to the left along it, with the footpath bright white sand.
By 4.9 miles, reach the firebreak and the fence again. Cross the firebreak and turn left to parallel the fence for the return trip.
Climbing up and over a hill, part of a peninsula under private ownership, the trail continues down the slope.
Turn to meet the fence lineAt the bottom of the other side of the hill at 5.1 miles is the junction with the Fox Squirrel Trail, completing this second loop.
Continue straight ahead along the fence line to exit, reaching the kiosk at the Watermelon Pond Park trailhead after 5.5 miles.
TrailheadTrail Map
Explore More!
Slideshow
See our photos from Watermelon Pond
Nearby Adventures
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Barr Hammock Preserve Circling Levy Prairie at Barr Hammock Preserve provides a glimmer of understanding of the chain of prairies that William Bartram saw during his 1774 traverse of the region.
Kanapaha Botanical Gardens One of the most beautiful and complex gardens in Florida, Kanapaha Botanical Gardens sits beneath grand live oaks with two dozen themed gardens on 68 acres. 
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