This portion of San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park solely covers the biking and equestrian…read moretrail side of the Park, located at 13201 Progress Blvd. If you prefer a good long hike instead, then skip on over to the other side of this State Park, located at 11101 Millhopper Rd, which is about 6-7 miles away. San Felasco is a huge trail network consisting of nearly 40 miles of cross country trails through beautiful woods. The further you ride into the trails, the tougher some areas of the trails becomes; carrying some good elevation change in between. Not too technical by any means but enough to challenge your lungs and legs. From Novice to Intermediate trails, to even Advanced trails, this park has it all. And each trail is unique in its own ways. Nice flat, flowy cross country trails, while the intermediate and advanced trails offer descents and hard climbs, hard enough to get you gassed and have your legs screaming. But please heed precaution that this park has ONLY ONE TRAILHEAD. Try not to ride too far into the trail knowing you still have to ride back the same distance back . You can easily get lost in these trails, so it's best to ride with a buddy or with a group or make sure you have the trail map handy which helps tremendously. Additionally the trails here during the summer time heats up, so please stay well hydrated and pack adequate amount of liquids. And if you're a novice rider, I suggest to just start out on a few trails; skip the difficult ones. Other than that...happy riding, grind those miles and enjoy the beauty San Felasco has to offer.

Gorgeous state park! I explored it when I was in Gainesville to run a 25 K trail race! Highly…read morerecommend the Gate 2 Gate race. Trails were clean and well taken care of. There was some elevation (yes, there are hills in FL!)

cute park. quaint with a robust playground. nature trail was rather brisk tho, ~10-15 walk maybe?…read morealso, the memorial gardens were the highlight for me, made me shed a tear.

This wasn't far off the highway and was a great place to take a break for our toddler to run around…read moreon a long drive. The playground was well kept and had slides and swings. I'll keep it in mind for next time we are driving through.

Very cool calisthenics/ninja warrior park... one can easily get a full workout here, and it's quite…read morenice too, with enough space to do sprints as well.

Reserve park is a very nice place, but I can see it is underused!…read moreThere is an amazing obstacle course that is brand new and state-of-the-art! There is a community garden, a place to barbecue, a playground for children, and fruit trees that give delicious fruit (when in season)!! It is not a huge park, but take a gathering of friends there, with food to cook, and you could make a very nice day of it!

This 23 acre park in Gainesville offers a place for reflection and remembrance of veterans with…read morevarious memorials and monuments. It is also home to three pavilions, two play areas, sports facilities, volleyball and basketball courts, soccer field, a roller hockey rink, a community center, bathrooms and a walking trail. The new modern climbing playground is very impressive with a canopy overhead for protection from the sun.

Although we live less than 2m from the park and have lived in the area for 25 yrs we rarely ever…read moreventured into this park until recently (because of its proximity to a higher-than-average crime area nearby). Having said that the city has, to its credit, dramatically cleaned it up and redesigned the park. It is now pleasant to walk in during the day, have a picnic or bring your coffee and a book, dog friendly and very well maintained. Plenty of parking and bathrooms. No trash, no grafitti and no unsupervised teens during the day. HINT: Go early on a school day and you won't bbe disappointed but better to avoid the park area at night.

Ivey Memorial Park is a pleasant enough park in Bradford, Florida…read more I enjoyed my time here and found it pretty relaxing. I would definitely recommend here

Ivey Park is a park in Branford, Florida, right on the Suwannee River. It contains pic-nic tables,…read morerestrooms, two boat ramps, and also is the site of Branford Springs, which has a really nice boardwalk around it and, when the water is higher, is a fun place to swim. Currently, we've had so little rain in northern Florida that Branford Springs is down low and you can hardly swim in it. The springs flow right out into the Suwannee, by the way. The park is a great place to launch a boat or, as we did, moor your boat when you come up to explore the park and maybe have a pic-nic. We went to nearby Sisters' Café and got our food and came back and ate here and it was pretty awesome. The park is kept pretty clean and is a lot nicer than most public boat ramp facilities in this part of Florida, but then, Suwannee County actually seems to bother putting decent money into things unlike some of its neighboring counties, so there you go. The views of the river here--and from the bridge crossing over to Lafayette County--are great, too.

I was shocked to find out that there is a well-maintained hiking trail from this parking lot…read morethrough the field that comes out at the Hawthorne Trail. I have biked the Hawthorne Trail for years, but I hardly ever stopped here. The trail starts from the parking lot, but the sign is down, so it's easy to miss. There is a picnic area, bike parking, car/motorcycle parking, and the Sweetwater Reserve is across the Hawthorne Trail. (you've seen the bike rack painted and looks like a snake!) There is a trail to hike/run/walk over there, as well. I don't see any water fountains, so make sure you bring your own. I scared a covey of quail as I was walking through the trail looking for birds. It scares you, then makes you laugh! There are people of many cultures, ages and sizes out here enjoying the trail on bikes/skateboards/ electric bikes/ feet, so come with your favorite conveyance, or just meander. This is a true Gainesville gem!

Boulware is a very non-park by today's definition hidden away by time. Initially I was confused…read morebecause there are two separate entrances. Because there is no actual map like you might find in a park I confess I'm still a bit confused. However at one entrance there is an equestrian trail as well as a trail head and a picnic table to catch some shade while having a bite to eat. The other entrance is the main area with the highlight being Gainesville's only natural spring. That's right! One spring provided all of Gainesville with it's entire water source! Alas when a water treatment plant was built in the mid 1900's there was no longer a household use for it. It does however now flow into Payne's Prairie so at least it's still purposeful.

This is a park that is well off the beaten path, buried in the back of a small housing development…read moreoff of Newberry Road in Gainesville. There is a small parking area and then a couple of paths that lead into the park. It is but a short walk into the park itself, and I can see it as being a good place to take a dog for a walk. In the park itself there is a small play area for children, as well as a community garden where you will see various food plants being grown. It was a bit overgrown when I was there, but it is towards the end of summer and the way weeds grow right now it isn't all that surprising. The park includes a couple of vita-course implements for exercise, but nothing like some of the other parks in town that have full courses. If you are interested in a park that is well off the beaten path that few people even know of, this should certainly be on your list.

I was beyond pleasantly surprised by this park! Like many other parks, it lists a non-existent…read moreaddress. So we made our way to the neighborhood and just poked around a little until we found the northeast entrance at SW 38th St. There was only parking for one car here. About 50 yards down the paved path from the entrance, there was a fork in the road with a dirt path. The paved path straight ahead leads to private property. Another 50 yards down the dirt path, a clearing in the trees opens to a quaint little playground, a community garden, wide open space, and what appears to be neighborhood sand toys. During our visit, I walked the surrounding paths to discover a small parking lot off SW 40th St. We also had the MOST AMAZING experience with one of the neighbors that participated in the community garden. She invited my kiddos to help pull a turnip, a few carrots, and taste some edible flowers and herbs! It was such a special experience for my family. Wild Spaces Public Places is planning a renovation, closing for 6 weeks beginning March 2019. I hope they are able to keep the special feel of this hidden gem (maybe just add some restrooms)!

Recently I visited the Hogtown Creek Headwaters Park again, and it has expanded! The nature station…read morethat has been under construction for a while now is finally open, and is staffed on the weekends! There is a really nice exhibit inside detailing the history of the park and the house it is housed in, as well as some history of the area including the pitch farm that was in the area. In addition to the history exhibit, there are also nature exhibits showing the local fauna and flora. Definitely worth a visit now!

Extremely boring trail, nothing more than two, one foot tall overlooks. I went here in March, the…read moretrail is very small and the creek overlooks had zero water. If you have kids it has a large playground, in general I dont recommend.