Summer is here and between school days, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the beautiful Florida countryside, many are pulling outside for fun, physical and mental health, or an escape from reality.
Alachua County has a variety of natural spaces among parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and conservation areas administered by the city, county, and state, as well as environmental nonprofits. Local hiking trails offer varied relaxation right here in Gainesville’s backyard.
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You are sure to find beneficial exercise between hiking, cycling and horse riding. Or maybe you are interested in seeing some of Florida’s wildlife, such as rare plant species, migratory and wading birds, wild horses and bison, and yes, alligators.
Whatever your interest, there’s no shortage of benefits to exploring the great outdoors, said Andi Christman, program manager for the Office of Land Conservation and Management at Alachua County Environmental Protection Department.
“Going on a trail doesn’t have to mean going to the Appalachian Trail or Yellowstone National Park … These are our beautiful local resources,” she said. “It allows [people] to disconnect from human stress. “
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Here are the trails:
Lake Pithlachocco Trailhead in the Newnans Lake State Forest
Location and Hours of Operation: The trailhead is at 921 NE 55th Blvd., east of Gainesville. It is open every day in daylight.
Accommodation: Pets kept on a leash are allowed. Parking spaces are available and free of charge.
Distance and activities: Two paths start at the starting point of Lake Pithlachocco. One is a 2.5 mile loop that goes about halfway to the lakeshore. It offers many varied scenes from a small stream over dense forest to open fields. Picnic tables and a historical replica of a dugout can be found at the rest area on the lakeshore. The second trail is a 5.5 mile loop through the hardwood and pine forests.
La Chua Trail in Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park
Location and Hours of Operation: The main entrance is on 4801 Camp Ranch Road in south Gainesville. It is open every day from 8 a.m. to an hour before sunset.
Accommodation: Pets are not allowed. A promenade provides access for strollers and wheelchairs. Parking is available, but the state park has an entry fee of $ 6 per vehicle.
Trail Length and Activities: The La Chua Trail is 3 miles long and very popular. Visitors can find views of the prairie and swamp, such as Lake Alachua and the Alachua Depression. Dozens of alligators are often present, along with many birds and occasional herds of wild horses or bison. Some sections of the route will be closed due to flooding.
San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park
Location and opening times: San Felasco has two hiking trails that only separate hiking from other cycling and riding trails. The trail begins at 11101 Millhopper Road, northwest of Gainesville. The bike and riding trails are located at 13201 Progress Blvd., south of Alachua on US 441. All are open daily from 8:00 am to sunset.
Accommodation: Parking is available for USD 4 per vehicle. Dogs are allowed on the hiking trails on a leash.
Trail Length and Activities: The trails range from just under a mile to 5.6 miles, but the bike trails are the real star of the state park and a popular spot for mountain bikers both alone and in teams. The bike paths stretch for almost 32 km and offer everything from gentle beginner curves to steep hills, jumps and bridges. Riding trails allow tours through the varied landscape with old forests, open fields and streams.
Turkey Creek Reserve
Location and Hours of Operation: The reservation is located at 6300 NW 93rd Ave. in northwest Gainesville and is open daily from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. October-March and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. April-September.
Accommodation: Parking spaces are available and free of charge. Dogs on a leash are allowed.
Distance and activities: The nature reserve is a newer natural space for visitors that was opened to the public in February. It offers hiking, biking and riding trails from 800 to 3 km in length, including an outdoor fitness course with seven training stations. The reserve is home to an endangered species of flora, the forest poppy, which is known for its bright pinkish-purple flowers.
Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail
Location and Hours of Operation: The trail begins at 3400 SE 15th St. in southeast Gainesville and is open daily from 8 a.m. to sunset.
Accommodation: Free parking spaces are available at four locations along the way. It is paved and suitable for prams and wheelchairs. Dogs on a leash are allowed.
Trail Length and Activities: The 16 mile popular trail follows an abandoned track bed. Walking, cycling and skating are allowed along the entire route. A grassy bridle path runs alongside the paved one. Fishing is permitted from bridges at two locations, Prairie Creek and Lochloosa Creek.
Sweetwater Wetlands Park
Location and Hours of Operation: The park is located at 325 SW Williston Road in southwest Gainesville and is open daily from 7 a.m. to sunset.
Accommodation: Parking is available for $ 5. The gravel and promenade paths are suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs. Pets are not allowed. There is a toilet.
Path length and activities: Around 5.6 km of path are available for hiking and nature observation. The park is home to many alligators and bird species among the wetlands and ponds. It’s popular with families and was originally created to provide better water quality for the Floridan Aquifer and Paynes Prairie.
Watermelon Pond Wildlife and Environment Area
Location and Hours of Operation: The area’s northern trailhead is at 9514 SW 282nd St. in Newberry and is open daily from an hour and a half before sunrise to an hour and a half after sunset.
Accommodation: Parking spaces are available. Dogs are allowed on the paths on a leash.
Distance and activities: Watermelon Pond WEA offers circular routes of up to 13 km in length for hikers, bikers and riders. Picnic tables are also provided. The area is known for a handful of major wildlife species such as the gopher tortoise and the Sherman fox squirrel.
Cofrin Nature Park
Location and Hours of Operation: The park is tucked away between urban Gainesville at 4810 NW Eighth Ave. and is open daily from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. from November to April and daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. from May to October.
Accommodation: Pets kept on a leash are allowed. Parking spaces are available.
Trail Length and Activities: The park has a playground, a half-mile wooded loop, and a small creek. It is also home to the Survivors of Suicide Memory Garden, a room with flowers and a trellis, secluded seating, and a meditation maze.
Mill Creek Conservation Area
Location and Hours of Operation: The reserve is located at 14505 NW County Road 236 in Alachua. It is open from November to April from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and from May to October from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Accommodation: Dogs kept on a leash are allowed. Parking spaces are available.
Distance and activities: Hikers can explore 8 km on unpaved roads through pine, swamp, hardwood forests and swamps. There is also a stream. The reserve is home to some of the southernmost American beeches.
Loblolly Woods Natural Park
Location and Hours of Operation: The park is located at 3315 NW Fifth Ave. and is open daily from morning to evening.
Accommodation: A toilet and limited parking spaces are available. Pets kept on a leash are allowed. The promenade sections are suitable for pushchairs and wheelchairs.
Path length and activities: The Loblolly main path is good for beginners or cyclists who want to spend time in nature without much length or distance from society. A mix of dirt road and boardwalk, it runs from a small parking lot on Northwest 34th Street to the Gainesville Solar Walk on Northwest Eighth Avenue just across from Westside Park and offers plenty of places for dog walks, bird watching, and Hogtown Creek. It resumes as a boardwalk across Avenue for another quarter mile to Northwest 16th Avenue.
Reporter Danielle Ivanov covers the University of Florida and general assignments. You can reach her by email at DIvanov@gannett.com or on Twitter @DanielleIvanov.
The post Get outside on these 10 nature trails in Alachua County this summer first appeared on Daily Florida Press.
from Daily Florida Press https://dailyfloridapress.com/get-outside-on-these-10-nature-trails-in-alachua-county-this-summer/
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