Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park

Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park in Micanopy, Alachua County, Florida, encompasses 21,000 acres of a vast ancient lake basin that periodically floods and drains over geological time, creating one of the most unusual and wildlife-rich landscapes in the eastern United States. The preserve protects a significant portion of the La Chua Basin — an enormous natural depression that was Lake Alachua for thousands of years until a subterranean drainage opening in the 1800s emptied the lake over a period of months, transforming it into the great prairie that survives today. The preserve is famous for harboring herds of free-roaming American bison — reintroduced in 1975 — and a herd of Spanish mustang horses descended from animals brought to Florida by Spanish colonists in the 16th century. These free-ranging large mammals on the open prairie create an experience unlike anything else in Florida and more reminiscent of western grassland wildlife viewing. Sandhill cranes gather in enormous concentrations during winter months, and the basin's seasonal flooding draws migratory waterfowl in impressive numbers. The La Chua Trail, a 3-mile out-and-back route accessing the prairie floor, provides the park's most dramatic wildlife encounters — alligators are extremely common along the wet canal edges, bison are frequently visible grazing at mid-distance, and the sandhill crane flocks at winter dawn are extraordinary. The Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail passes through the preserve's upland edge, linking the park to Gainesville and Hawthorne by multi-use path for cyclists and pedestrians. A 50-foot observation tower at the Wacahoota Road trailhead provides an elevated overview of the entire basin and the surrounding scrub and hammock habitats.