Prairie Creek Preserve – Florida Hikes - Primal Outdoor Members Portal

The flagship protect for the nonprofit Alachua Conservation Belief, Prairie Creek Protect encompasses each pure lands and a conservation cemetery.

A mosaic of uplands, swamps, and marshes filter their waters into Prairie Creek, which in flip flows in direction of Paynes Prairie.

Prairie Creek

Three separate trailheads allow entry to its path community, together with two alongside the Gainesville-Hawthorne State Path.

Our hike begins on the Witness Tree trailhead, because it gives the quickest path to a pivot level junction for the paths on each the east and west aspect of the protect.

When you’ve hiked one aspect of the protect, you possibly can determine in your return journey if you wish to add extra miles.

Trailhead kiosk and picnic table under oak

Witness Tree trailhead

Assets

Overview

Location: RochelleLength: As much as 7.5 milesTrailhead: 29.596171, -82.228229Address: 8416 CR 2082, GainesvilleFees: FreeRestroom: NoneLand Supervisor: Alachua Conservation TrustPhone: 352-373-1078

Open dawn to sundown. Trails shared with cyclists and equestrians. Leashed canines welcome.

A picnic desk within the shade adjoins the trailhead kiosk. The closest restroom is 1 / 4 mile east alongside the bike path.

Instructions

From Interstate 75 exit 374 at Micanopy, comply with CR 234 east to US 441. Flip proper. Inside a mile, make a left on the blinker to remain on CR 234. After almost 7 miles cross the Gainesville-Hawthorne State Path and make a left into the trailhead.

Hike

Cross the paved path to the path kiosk and signal for Prairie Creek Protect and choose up a path information.

Entry to the complete path system is through the white-blazed Susan Wright Path, signposted simply previous the kiosk.

Begin of the Susan Wright Path

Observe a cushty footpath of pine duff and leaves by means of a pine flatwoods superbly restored by the conservancy. Chalky bluestem grass waves beneath the pines.

Attain a low boardwalk curving out of sight. Spanning a seasonal drainage space, it wraps its approach by means of the forest, ending at 0.2 miles.

Winding boardwalk

Noticed palmetto, gallberry, and staggerbush hem within the path hall. In one other tenth of a mile, cross an elevated boardwalk over a stream between cypress strands.

On the far aspect the path system splits. The Susan Wright Path continues west as a slender footpath blazed white.

Elevated boardwalk

Flip left on the blue marker to comply with the broader Kathy Cantwell Path alongside the cypress strand. Patches of open water are interspersed with floating clusters of duckweed.

Ascend into the pine flatwoods that drain in direction of the cypresses, strolling alongside the ecotone. At a T intersection with a forest highway, make a pointy left.

Cypress strand with knees poking from leaves

Edging a cypress strand

Cross a limestone highway at 0.6 mile and a bridge over its accompanying ditch right into a section of former pine plantation not far alongside in its restoration to xeric flatwoods.

It has furrowed humps to traverse. Exit this maze-like traverse of the dense understory to descend in direction of the cypress strand.

Blue diamond on pine with footpath amid low palmetto

Restoration space

Make a proper to comply with its edge below the pines and oaks. Approaching a darkish ditch, the path curves alongside it to cross a bridge over the waterway at 0.8 miles.

Circle a big marshy pond, staying nearby of it whereas strolling within the woods

Bridge over ditch

Previous an enormous Southern magnolia with a cut up trunk, an extended boardwalk traverses a drainage between the primary pond and an identical one on the best.

An interpretive signal on the finish of the boardwalk informs you of getting into Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery.

There are not any conventional memorial markers or mowed lawns right here; these laid to relaxation right here change into one with the forest.

Lengthy boardwalk

Proceed on a gently winding route by means of the hardwood hammock, previous a towering oak with a pure opening in its base like a small door.

The understory greens up on the method to the Wayne Clements Path at a mile. Flip left for a loop by means of the hammock.

Wayne Clements Path

Curving between oaks and noticed palmetto, it reaches a clearing with a kiosk and two picnic benches, a pleasant spot for a hydration break.

Observe the sting of an open grassy space inside view of a cypress strand into the hammock. Circle again to a second junction with the Kathy Cantwell Path at 1.3 miles.

Southern junction

To the left, the Kathy Cantwell Path extends lower than a half mile to a trailhead off the doorway to Prairie Creek Lodge alongside CR 234.

Add an additional mile to this 6.5 mile circuit to go to the lodge and restrooms. In any other case, make a proper to begin again in direction of the Witness Tree trailhead.

Northbound on the Kathy Cantwell Path

Strolling north by means of the hammock, we observed delicate parts of the burial floor within the forest on the left.

Shade-tipped posts like path markers denote rows and the occasional slab of pure stone or spray of native crops as markers.

Woodlands with lone blue tipped trail marker

Conservation cemetery

Passing the Wayne Clements Path signal at 1.5 miles, seal the small loop on the east aspect of the path system. Retrace your route alongside the cypress strands.

Return to the junction with the Susan Wright Path by 2.2 miles, your subsequent choice level.

Pond earlier than the bridge

Crossing the elevated boardwalk returns you to the Witness Path trailhead to finish a 2.5 mile hike on the east aspect of Prairie Creek Protect.

To increase your hike, make a left at this junction onto the Susan Wright Path, following white blazes by means of the restored pine plantation.

White blaze on distant tree and boardwalk to right

Susan Wright Path junction

Curving previous a sinkhole and the open water of the cypress swamp, meet the Julia Reiskind Path at 2.4 miles. Flip proper.

Yellow blazes mark a straightaway edged with blackberries and dogfennel. Past a four-way junction, make a slight jog earlier than persevering with straight by means of the pines.

Path junction

This outdated logging tramway provides elevation because it enters a hardwood hammock. Visitors noise from SR 20 buzzes by at Kelly Crossing.

This walk-or-ride-in junction with the Gainesville-Hawthorne Path at 3.1 miles has a map kiosk and a picnic bench.

Florida fringe tree at Kelly Crossing

Flip left to begin the return journey on the Jane Walker Path. It descends into an imposing hardwood hammock, taking a 90-degree flip to remain above the floodplain.

Past the ability strains, a straightaway on a tramway slices by means of the floodplain forest.

Tramway

After it ends, maintain alert for the junction with the the white-blazed Susan Wright Path at 3.5 miles.

Staying on the orange blazes provides an non-obligatory round-trip of 1.8 miles to a small bluff alongside Prairie Creek itself, an often-wet traverse in its cypress-lined floodplain.

Pathway into floodplain

Making a left on the Susan Wright Path, ascend into the uplands. Pine-palm flatwoods yield to an upland hammock.

Sparkleberry thrives beneath oaks and sweetgum. A picnic desk sits in a mowed clearing below the oaks.

Picnic desk in uplands

Crossing a drainage space on a boardwalk, stroll between the pines to complete this loop by returning to the Julia Reiskind Path junction at 4.1 miles.

Stick with the white blazes, retracing your route again to the junction with the Kathy Cantwell Path.

Nearing the Cantwell Path junction

Cross the elevated boardwalk to return to the Witness Tree trailhead, finishing a minimal 4.7 mile hike.

It’s 5.7 miles if you happen to made the simple round-trip to Prairie Creek Lodge, or 7.5 miles if you happen to additionally tackled the difficult round-trip to Prairie Creek.