Payne’s Prairie Preserve State Park Hiking Adventure
Living in Florida, we are blessed to have many wonderful outdoor areas to explore all throughout the state. I tend to always lean towards state parks for outside recreation as that was once a career path for me, and hey, FL has the most Gold Medal awards for being the best state park system in all of the United States (as voted by their peers, ie other state park systems).
Check out all of the Florida State Parks!
Our plan to hike Payne’s Prairie Preserve State Park with friends and our pups was made a week in advance, so we were so very happy to find when the day came that we had been blessed with a perfect autumn day.
Since we had the pups with us and only a couple of hours of daylight, we were limited to a couple of trails. Even though, we still had enough time to leisurely walk about 2.3 miles on a couple of trails that are dog-friendly. It is important to note that not all of the trails are pet-friendly due to the presence of alligators! It is definitely common, and expected, to find gators anywhere in Florida where there is water. This picture is one hubby Joe took of a friendly gator just a few days prior to our hiking adventure in some other woods nearby. Hello, Gator!
We decided to walk around the Wacahoota Trail, which is about 0.3 miles. It is near the visitor center that loops by the Observation Tower. Part of the trail is paved, but most of it is hard-packed dirt and roots, although I imagine it can get a bit muddy with a lot of rain. The Observation Tower overlooks the prairie where horses and bison can be seen sometimes. We were fortunate on our hike to see the horses and bison, although they were far away and looked a lot like big dots in the distance.
I have visited the park in the past when the bison were about a football field (or 100 yards) away from the tower (there is a fence between you and the animals, but do not try to antagonize them!).
The trail was busy, so we had to step aside quite a few times so people could go by without being loved on by our dogs (not everyone is a dog lover, which is sadness, LoL). We spent around 30 minutes leisurely enjoying this tree-covered trail and tower. The mosquitoes were out, but nothing a little more mosquito repellent would not have handled. Unfortunately, the visitor center was closed during our visit due to a volunteer being out sick. Hopefully, they feeling better now!
Our pups needed a break, so we took a short break for them to have a sit.
Next, to finish up our adventure in the park, we went to the Chacala Trail, across from Puggy Road, and hiked about a two-mile loop. This one goes along a well-groomed trail through the Flatwoods, very similar to a maintained service road, and approximately a quarter-mile of a tree-covered path. The mosquitoes were not as bad along this route, but we also had sprayed a lot better this time. Our friends did find some ticks on their dogs, but ticks are pretty common in Florida and it is always a good idea to check one another and your furry friends after finishing being in wooded areas. We spent about 45 minutes to an hour hiking this trail at an unhurried pace, which included stopping for photos of flowers and mushrooms along the way. This trail has longer routes if you choose, around 6.5 miles worth. We ran out of daylight since it gets dark pretty early during November (around 5:30 pm-6:00 pm), plus with all of the pine and oak trees, the sun disappears even quicker.
About the park:
It is $6 dollars per carload for two to eight people to enter this particular state park and the rest are very similarly priced in Florida. Payne’s Prairie is extremely large in acreage and has multiple observation points along US 441, trails at the north (Gainesville) and main entrances (Micanopy) and camping. As mentioned, some trails are not pet-friendly because of the presence of alligators. Gators should be respected at all times because they can be very dangerous if provoked or during breeding and nesting seasons. The majority of the time, they want nothing to do with you, but you should absolutely maintain space between yourself and them; remember, this is their home. Also, remember to clean up after your pet.
Restaurants in the Area:
Paynes Prairie State Park southern entrance is in Micanopy, FL, which is a quaint little town with some restaurants (check hours before you go, some are not open all day Sundays). Doc Hollywood was filmed in the town and they have lots of little festivals and events throughout the year, plus a great bed and breakfast at Herlong Mansion. Be sure to take a stroll around downtown on a nice day or during one of their arts or fall festivals.
There are two places I often go to eat when I am in the area: Blue Highway Pizzeria and Pearl Country Store & Barbeque. They are both very good and well visited. The Pearl Barbecue restaurant is like a hole in a wall, not much to look at and small, but very good barbecue. This is where we decided to go on our hiking day, so we got to “eat all the meats,” as some of my friends would say, LoL. Great prices and fresh food, but nothing fancy (it is in a country store, not like a Cracker Barrel though).
No matter where you decide to eat, spend some time in the area and enjoy the Real Florida.
Have you visited this park or any other Florida state parks? Share your experience!
