Top Things to Do on Your Visit to Paynes Prairie Preserve

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Explore life in Florida’s Savanna with is mini guide to Paynes Prairie Preserve. Featuring 6 awesome things to do on your visit.

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Our last stop in Florida before we officially left the state on our full time RV adventure was the beautiful Paynes Prairie Preserve. We’d heard great things about the park such as its excellent wildlife viewing, abundant greenery, incredible hiking & biking, and the wild roaming bison and horses. It’s proximity to the main highway ( I75) made it an easy place to stop and explore.

If you’re a nature enthusiast like Mike & I then you will surely love Paynes Prairie Preserve. Whether you have just one day or a couple days to spare, Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park is a great place to visit.

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ABOUT PAYNES PRAIRIE PRESERVE

Paynes Prairie Preserve is a 21,000 acre savanna located in Northern Florida. It’s known for being Florida’s first preserve and the only place in Florida where you can see free roaming bison, cattle, and horses. The preserve sits in the center of the Paynes Prairie Basin where it drains into the Alachua Sink creating a diverse freshwater marsh.

Before Paynes Prairie became a preserve, a series of canals were built draining the prairie’s water into the Atlantic Ocean, reducing the basins water by 50%. In 1970 the State of Florida acquired the prairie and has been in the process of restoring the preserve to it’s original state. It’s a designated National Natural Landmark and houses over 300 species of birds and 420 vertebrate. It’s a part of the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail which means its a great place to view native birds, alligators, butterflies and so much more.

ENTRANCE FEE

$6 per vehicle or you can use the Florida State Park Annual Pass.

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GETTING THERE

Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park is located in Micanopy right off I75 just outside the town of Gainesville in North Florida. There are three access points to explore the park, the main entrance, north entrance and the Bolen Bluff Trailhead.

The preserve is open 365 days a year providing year long access to explore the park. However being a Florida native we’d recommend visiting between the months of November through April. The highs are in the 80’s and lows are in the 40’s which means the heat and mosquitos won’t be as intense as the summer months.

• 20 minutes from Gainesville

• 1.5 hours from Jacksonville

• 1.5 hours from Orlando

• 2 hours from Tampa

• 5 hours from Miami

 

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THINGS TO DO

EXPLORE THE OPEN RANGE

Take a walk through the expanse of the prairie marsh land in Paynes Prairie’s open range. The open range is a part of the 8 mile Cones Dike Trail where you will be taken right out on to the prairie. This is where you will find wild bison, horses, gators, and cattle. Located right behind the visitor center this is a great place to view the preserves diverse wildlife.

HIKE THE TRAILS

There are 8 trails in the park to explore on foot or bike. It’s a great place for all ages to tour the parks herbaceous plant communities and unique geology of Florida’s sinkholes and Prairie land. Due to the wildlife in the park pets are not allowed on most trails.

• La Chua Trail - 3.0 miles

• Bolen Bluff Trail - 2.6 miles

• Wacahoota Trail - 0.25 mile

• Cones Dike - 8.25 miles

• Chacala Trail - 6.5 miles

• Gainesville Hawthorne State Trail -16 miles ( Pet friendly )

• Lake Trail - 0.9 miles

• Jacksons Gap - 1.3 miles

VISIT THE OBSERVATION TOWER

From the Paynes Prairie Visitors Center take the 0.25 mile Wacahoota trail to a 50ft high observation tower where you can view Paynes Prairie from above. This is a great place to sit, enjoy the quiet and take in the panoramic views of the prairie. Some animals commonly seen are the sandhill crane, bald eagle, and bobcat.

VISIT THE ALACHUA SINK

The Alachua Sink is located on the north side of the preserve and is known for being the deepest sinkhole in Paynes Prairie Preserve. There’s an awesome boardwalk that takes right out on to the sink where you can view Florida nature at its finest. This is also where the Florida gators like to hang out. During the dry season you can take the 3.0 mile La Chua Trail from the boardwalk to the Alachua observation tower where you can enjoy views of the Alachua Lake.

CAMP IN THE PRAIRIE

Immerse yourself in Paynes Prairie Preserve by staying overnight in their campground. RV and tent sites options are available with water and electric connections. Each campsite comes with a ton of shade, lantern post, fire ring grill, and picnic table. There is also a large bathhouse and dump station to use. Saturday evenings from November through February, they provide ranger-led campfire programs at the campfire amphitheater.

VISIT GAINESVILLE

Your visit to Paynes Prairie Preserve wouldn’t be complete without a stop in Gainesville. Gainesville is a cute college town home to one of the top Universities in Florida, the University of Florida Gators. For some good coffee stop at Kava Coffee Gator Shop and explore the beautiful campus and downtown area. A few other great places to visit in the area would be the Devils Millhopper State Park, Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, and Depot Park.

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Let us know what are your favorite things to do at Paynes Prairie Preserve in the comments below!

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HEY THERE!

WE’RE MIKE & DEANDRA.

Two adventure seekers traveling the U.S in our 37 FT. travel trailer with our two companions, Griffin & Lucy. We share our life on the road and travel guides to our favorite destinations.

This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.