Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.

Henry David Thoreau

Gainesville to Hawthorne Rails to Trails

Friday March 22, 2013
Site 7, Paynes Prairie Preserve
Micanopy, Florida

 

Today we drive into Gainesville to pick up the 16 mile paved trail to Hawthorne

 

Boulware Springs

The trail head turns out to be at the city’s original Waterworks.  This is Gainesville’s only artesian spring which was tapped with a pipe in 1898 and provided the city’s only water source for years.   In 1905 Gainesville’s plentiful water source helped entice the University of Florida to locate here.  The spring was abandoned in 1948 with the completion of the water treatment plant.  Now the  spring flows onto Paynes Prairie as it did before the city’s original use.   I wonder - what it was it like for those 50 years to have spring water piped into your home.

 

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 118

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 122 

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 115

 

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 116

 

 

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 142

 

  The trail is 16 miles one way so if you do the entire thing it’s a 32 mile round trip. We’ve gotten a late start today so we’ll probably only go about 10 miles up and then come back.  The most fabulous part of this trail is that it mostly doesn’t run on or even next to any roads.  It’s a biker’s dream.   There are also viewing spots and information boards along the way and we stop at them all of course.

 

Sweetwater Overlook

The Sweetwater Overlook is the first one we come to and it overlooks a lovely wetland.   We’ve heard it’s a great spot for watching the sunset but we’re too early for that.

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 124

 

This bike trail is fun to ride.
As we move into a curve the sign reads

Caution sharp curve
Keep right
Stay in lane

and you’d better do that because some riders come flying along going the other way especially on the hills.

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 127

 

 

The hills of Florida.

And there are hills in Florida.  Though not many I’ll grant you.  This one was just long enough thanks.

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 128

 

 

The La Chua Trail spur

At 1.5 miles is the La Chua Trail  spur which includes a walking trail through the remnants of a ranch that operated on the Prairie from the turn of the 20th century until it was bought by the state in 1970.  A stone barn is all that remains of the ranch.   Hiking the trail is HIGH up on our list for another day, maybe even tomorrow.  It goes out to a platform in the northern section of Paynes Prairie.  Another chance to spot buffalo and wild horses.  But not today, today we look from the spur.   Beautiful view.

 

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 135

 

     Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 140

 

 

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 139

 

 

Back on the trail, the bike path curves around  sink holes.  The sign reads

Entering the Hammock
Hills and Curves
Keep Right

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 143

 

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 146 

 

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 147

 

 

 

A ‘Wildlife Crossing’ sign always makes me think of deer or elk or buffalo or some big animal….moose??

 

We stop here but the resident is either inside or away for the day.  Really nice yard though.

 

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 148

 

 

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 149

 

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 151

 

 

Prairie Creek Bridge

At 5 miles we reach Prairie Creek Bridge which is one of those kodak moments on both sides of the trail.  To the left on Prairie Creek is the rustic Kate’s Fish Camp and the gorgeous creek itself.

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 153

 

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 154

 

 

 Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 155

 

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 156

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 157

 

 

To the right is a long boardwalk back into the cypress swamp and the gorgeous views of the creek.  This is a wonderful tranquil spot except for the highway noise from the secondary road just beyond Kate’s.

 

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 160

  Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 159

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 161

 

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 162

 

 

When I get back to Winnona, I intend to investigate this beautiful Prairie Creek more and see if there is a way to kayak it. 

   Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 171

 

 

 

Prairie Creek Preserve Trail Heads

But for now we move on down the road where we arrive at the Prairie Creek Preserve Trail heads.   Orange or yellow?  No time for either today unfortunately.  Wish we’d known, perhaps we could have left earlier and had time for some hiking as well as peddling. Although since I went running and they cut back sunrise, we couldn’t have left much earlier.
Sunrise at 7:30 rather than 6:30 sure cuts into my day.
Yes I’m still whining.

 

 Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 172

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 173

 

 

Lunch time

Our final stop is at another Prairie Creek Preserve spot where we have our picnic lunch under the shade of these grand oak trees.  There is a parking lot here too so you can start the trail from here if you like and go either direction.

 

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 175

 

 Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 176 

 

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 177

 

 

Hey look at those  beagles

At this point we cross our first road, county Road 234.  It leads to the town of Micanopy which we visited yesterday.  At 7 miles we pass a simple white Baptist church before entering the Lochloosa Wildlife Management Area where they say during hunting season cyclists may encounter hunters and hounds.

 

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 182

 

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 185

 

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 184   

 

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 187

 

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 186

 

 

 

Time to turn back.

At this point we’ve done a tad more than half of the trail and decide to turn back and leave the other half for another day.  Perhaps we’ll come back to the Prairie Preserve parking and bike to the end and back and then hike the preserve trails.  Sounds like a plan.  Or maybe we’ll just do the entire thing, and get out much earlier.  It’s a gorgeous trail.

 

This is my idea of the perfect bike trail.  It’s paved for those of us with hybrid rather than mountain bike tires and is packed with a variety of landscapes, vistas and topography as it skirts the Paynes Prairie Preserve and Lochloosa Wildlife Management Area.

Back the way we came, we enjoy it all over again.

 

THE END

Gainesville to Hawthorn Bike Trail 191

14 comments:

  1. Another great day!!! Lovely, GREEN pictures!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have been to Paynes Prairie but didn't know about this trail. Added it to the list of todo stuff when we get to Florida next year. Looks wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm finally catching up on blogs since being in PA 'working' :) Love the rails to trails! Hopefully we will find some nice bike trails in FL!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great post where, again, I don't know where to begin. Nice ride with wonderful views. Your photos are absolutely lovely! And of course I love David's hat -- what a hoot!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love paved bike trails, especially the Rails to Trails ones. So scenic and so much fun.

    Bummer that the sun comes up so late now, but look on the bright side, at least it is still coming up! ;c)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Fantastic ride! I feel like I was out exercising instead of doing laundry and trying to catch up from being gone so long :) Thanks for the workout!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great Ride!!! Love when you find a wonderful trail that is NOT near the highway noise!! This is a beauty:o))

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hello Sherry - You can kayak Prairie Creek. It is actually called the Potano Kayak Trail. You can read about it hear.

    http://alachuaconservationtrust.org/index.php?/alachua/archives/potano/

    Julie and I did this paddle several years ago. You can see the track of this trip here: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=755847

    ReplyDelete
  9. You are going to keep it up and I'm going to get my bike riding skills honed. I used to love to ride a bike as well as walk and explore. damn me. take this rope from around me.

    I tell you this turning 70 business is reeeeallly something. BLAST I want to be more active .. physically ... wish my body moved as fast as this old gnat attention mind of mine... hah

    another beautiful day... and no ice cream?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Beautiful pictures and stories - so much I don't know where to start or finish - just a great post!

    ReplyDelete
  11. You guys must be in great shape if you can ride 20 miles, I would be dead. Looks like it is still cold you have on coats. I can't wait for warmer weather. It is teasing us with 60's here.

    ReplyDelete
  12. You guys must be in great shape if you can ride 20 miles, I would be dead. Looks like it is still cold you have on coats. I can't wait for warmer weather. It is teasing us with 60's here.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Nice trail with some very picturesque spots. Nice that you have so many differing options...bike, walk, run, kayak, swim. Seems you can do it all down there. Excellent ride on an excellent trail!

    ReplyDelete

Your comments are the best part of this blog for me.
I LOVE hearing from you!