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    Four Creeks Preserve

    5.0 (1 review)

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    5 years ago

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    Hogtown Creek Greenway - Boardwalk through Hogtown Creek Greenway.

    Hogtown Creek Greenway

    4.3(7 reviews)
    4.4 mi

    Gainesville is so lucky to have such a wonderful shaded enviroment to visit, free of charge. The…read moretall trees with moss blowing in the breeze are a beautiful example of what North Florida has to offer. The boardwalks are fairly new and are still in pristine condition. My favorite place to park the car is over at Westside Park and walk over, carefully dodging the traffic that blasts down 8th Avenue. If you enter the boardwalk on the North side of 8th Avenue there are breaks in the boardwalk to wonder the footpath trails and streams and sometimes you will end up on standing in people's backyards.

    Hogtown Creek Greenway is one of my favorite smaller wild areas in Alachua County and, what is…read moremore, it is close enough to the UF campus and several neighborhoods to make it easy enough to get to without a car. In fact, its trails--while not that long and sometimes flooded out in wet weather--are awesome for mountain biking. The Greenway came about because Hogtown Creek and its various tributaries flow through this lowland area of Gainesville and while there is a lot of development surrounding what has become the Greenway, the lands that compose the Greenway itself would not be suited to development and, more importantly, are essential to not develop given the fragile and unique ecosystems they provide. The City of Gainesville should be praised for its efforts not only protect these lands but to make them open to the public. Just controlling the flow of water in this area-brokering its ability to remain true to the natural course of these creeks while also ensuring that flooding in nearby neighborhoods isn't likely-must have been a huge challenge. To the south-west of the Greenway off of University Avenue, Hogtown Creek is directed through a grouping of canals and other engineered mechanisms to regulate its flow but when it emerges in the Greenway, it returns to its pristine natural status. The Hogtown Greenway, if you enter it via the Loblolly Facility, provides a broad trail that is adept for hiking or mountain biking. A boardwalk has been built to continue this trail over places that are normally (or at least very often) wet and it's a short hike through this area to the 8th Avenue entrance to the Greenway across from Westside Park. The stretch of 8th Avenue here is where the Gainesville Planet Monuments-one obelisk for each of the solar system's planets including Pluto and the Sun-are located so these are a nice diversion to examine up close if you've only driven by them before in a hurry. Within the woods of the Loblolly section, there's a lot to notice if you wish to take the time. An informative sign at the 8th Avenue side of the path notes that a diverse variety of wildlife from river otters to various birds to the rough green snake are found in this environment: You will have to be patient to see them, though. Mostly, like elsewhere in the region, you'll spot squirrels, birds, and perhaps a black racer or other snake. Lizards and insects are also omnipresent and on account of the latter, insect spay is a good idea as to keep the pesky ones off of your body and discouraged from sucking your blood. The boardwalk trail has a smaller off-shoot which leads down to the creek bed itself and makes for a great oppurtunity to examine a creek of this sort up close. The sandy banks, muddy yet peaceful waters of the creek, and canopy of trees above make for a very serene experience. If you continue across 8th Avenue to the opposite side of the street and walk a ways east, you will encounter another boardwalk that runs all the way from 8th Avenue to 16th Avenue, south to north. This boardwalk is a minor yet grand feat of engineering, having been perfectly crafted and took, I can only guess, a fair amount of cash to complete. For that reason if no other (and there are plenty of others) I hope that it's used by a lot of people. When I've been out on the boardwalk with my bike, I have nearly always encountered people walking their dogs or running here, so it seems I am not by far its only fan or user. The magic of the boardwalk is that it runs through a wetland environment which would be very hard to access otherwise and affords a pleasent walk with a great view of what much of this region's natural areas are like if you got right into the thick of them. One can, in theory, continue on 16th Avenue eastward to the Alfred A. Ring Park entrance and there explore even more of Gainesville's diverse ecosystems, depsite being a stone's throw from subdivisions and houses with swimming pools. The boardwalk therefore not only makes for a great means of getting from 16th Avenue over to 8th Avenue (or of course, the other way around) but also a nice diversion into the woods to just get away from your busy life for a moment or two.

    Photos
    Hogtown Creek Greenway
    Hogtown Creek Greenway - Hogtown Creek.

    Hogtown Creek.

    Hogtown Creek Greenway

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    Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park - Bald eagle!

    Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park

    4.6(62 reviews)
    11.2 mi

    A great place to start your adventure and exploration of the Prarie…read more I recently stopped by the Payne's Prairie Preserve State Park Visitor Center in Micanopy, Florida, and it was a fantastic experience! Yes, you do pay the $6 per vehicle entrance fee to enter the state park, and it's a bit of a drive from the main gate along the park road to reach the parking lot. From there, you walk a short distance to the center itself. But once you arrive, it's absolutely worth it. The Visitor Center is very nice and modern building with large floor-to-ceiling windows directly across from teh entrance offering great views of the prairie itself. The staff, specifically Brad, was very helpful, The sets of displays provide an good overview of the prairie's natural and cultural history through interactive exhibits. There is also a short film in the theater room about the location. I really liked the observation area and spotting scopes. One scope was perfectly trained on a bald eagle perched about two miles away. I thought that was an incredible sight! It made the whole prairie feel alive and gave us a real sense of the wildlife that calls this special place home (wild horses and bison live here too). There is a small gift shop, restrooms, and the building provides easy access to trails and an observation tower nearby. It's a perfect starting point to understand and appreciate this unique place. If you're in the Gainesville area, make time for Payne's Prairie. The Visitor Center is a hidden gem that turns a simple stop into a memorable visit. I highly recommended it.

    We took advantage of our Florida State Park Pass (saved us the $6 entrance fee) and took a drive to…read morethe park. This is a beautiful park to drive or hike. The drive in and to the visitor center is so pretty! The trees make a nice, shady canopy. You can see various animals from the observation tower, open range or hiking. It was late afternoon and hot when we were there so we didn't see much (one deer!) and I'm sure the animals were in the shade somewhere.

    Photos
    Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park - Sunrise from platform out in the savanna

    Sunrise from platform out in the savanna

    Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park
    Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park - Watch Tower

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    Watch Tower

    Gainesville - Hawthorne State Trail - Well marked Mile Markers

    Gainesville - Hawthorne State Trail

    3.0(6 reviews)
    8.4 mi

    This is a very large, comprehensive, trail system based on a former railbed. However, as the paved…read morerailbed trail is what is most-known of the Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail, I wish to draw attention to the fact that there are a number of smaller, unpaved, trails appropriate for hikers or mountain bikes intersecting with the main trail and located there for access from the main trail. The Susan Wright Trail is one of such and is very nice. There are also various viewing platforms along the way and the integration with Paynes Prairie is very good. It is perfectly possible to drive in a car to one of several trailheads, park, and go biking or running or hiking without doing the entire trail and I think that's what a lot of people use this trail for, especially runners. Bugs can be bad, even in cooler weather as much of the trail abuts swampy areas and for the same reason, the smaller, unpaved trails can be flooded or muddy after even moderate rains. You should also remain on the lookout for snakes as they tend to come to the paved trail to sun themselves. Overall, a nice experience and a great addition to the State Parks offerings in and around Alachua County.

    Three weeks ago I was biking this trail for the first time. I somehow crashed and was knocked…read moreunconscious. I was taken by ambulance to the ER and sustained a brain bleed. I have absolutely no recollection of my ride that morning or how or why I crashed. I am since in touch with a local bike club and am learning crashes are not uncommon, due to several reasons, one of which is poor trail maintenance. Apparently there is also a bridge where many accidents have occurred. I don't know if my accident happened there. So just putting this out there to be careful if you decide to ride this trail.

    Photos
    Gainesville - Hawthorne State Trail - Nice clear ride paths

    Nice clear ride paths

    Gainesville - Hawthorne State Trail - Paynes Prairie overlook

    Paynes Prairie overlook

    Gainesville - Hawthorne State Trail - Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail

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    Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail

    Four Creeks Preserve - hiking - Updated May 2026

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