Hiking and Preservation at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park

Park Overview

Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park is a National Natural Landmark located in Alachua County between Gainesville and Micanopy, Florida. Designated as Florida’s first preserve in 1971, the park contains nearly 23,000 acres of preserved Florida uplands and freshwater wetlands. 30 miles of multi-use trails meander through 25 natural habitats. The trails range from a 0.3-mile loop to an 8+ mile round trip, traversing mostly flat terrain through pine and scrub flatwoods, swamp marsh, and the prairie basin.

longleaf pines — Longleaf pines at Paynes Prairie

Park Preservation

The park protects Paynes Prairie, a 16,000-acre karst polje (sinkhole valley). All surface waters within the prairie and its surrounding 121,000-acre watershed flow directly into the Floridan aquifer through the Alachua Sink at a rate of up to one million gallons per day.

Another preservation effort at this park is the Longleaf Pine Restoration Project. During the time of European settlers, longleaf pine forests covered nearly 90 million acres. By 1900, the longleaf forests that dominated southeast U.S. had been reduced by more than half due to construction and logging and turpentine industries. Today, less than 4% of the original longleaf pine forests remain.

At Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, longleaf pine forests thrive among lush understories of native grass and flowering, nongrassy herbaceous plants, such as wiregrass. Once planted, longleaf pines grow for 200-500 years, and stretch up to 125 feet tall. The landscape is maintained by prescribed burns to regenerate the pines and control invasive plant species. Longleaf pine forests provide an important habitat for prairie wildlife such as woodpeckers, gopher tortoises, and eastern indigo snakes.

chacala trail yellow blazes — Chacala Trail - yellow blazes

Our Adventure - The Chacala Trail

We follow the yellow blazes of the Chacala Trail, a 6.5-mile loop through pinelands. The trail begins under a canopy of pines and live oak with moss lining the trail edges toward Jackson’s Gap. Bountiful live oaks weep in Spanish moss. In early days at the prairie, collected moss was used for stuffing horse collars, mattresses, pillows, and other furniture. Green moss was gathered with a long pole and cured in trenches for 6-8 months until the outer covering rotted, leaving dark springy inner strands that were used for stuffing. At one time, 35 moss processing plants operated in Florida.

Chacala Trail white blazes — Chacala Trail - white blazes

An open scrub forest and winding sandy path turns into dense pinewoods and a grassy understory of saw palmetto. We traverse the pine needle beds in the rising sun. Prescribed burns are frequently fueled by the understory as evidenced by the blackened trunks of these pines.

With a series of trail loops, you can adjust the length of your hike based on your time and abilities. At the crossroads, we continue another ½ mile toward Jackson’s Gap, following the white blazes along a leaf covered path.

Ecopassage Observation Boardwalk off Hwy 441

Along the roadside of Highway 441, take in views of Alachua Lake, as William Bartram did in the 1700s. Alachua Lake is the largest open water marsh lake in the Paynes Prairie basin. The water levels fluctuate depending on the time of year. It can be completely dry or cover the entire 16,000 acres of the basin. This roadside attraction is a paradise for more than 300 bird species at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park.

Paynes Prairie Preserve Trail System

South End:
Wacahoota Trail – 0.3-mile loop (access Observation Tower)
Lake Trail – 0.8 miles (access Lake Wauberg)
Jackson’s Gap Trail – 1.2 miles
Chacala Trail – 6.5-mile loop
Cones Dike Trail – 8.25-miles round trip (no pets)

North End:
La Chua Trail – 3 miles round trip (no pets)
Bolen Bluff Trail – 2.6 miles round trip (no pets)
*Cycling is permitted along the park drive, Chacala, Bolen Bluff, Jackson's Gap, and Cones Dike Trails.
*Jackson’s Gap and Chacala Trails are also for equestrian use.
Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail (16 miles, multi-use)