Hike Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park

Read ALL! Let's hike the beautiful and scenic Paynes Prairie Preserve. The adventure will start with a 6+ mile hike on the yellow, white, and blue trails of the Chacala Trail. We will stop at Chacala Pond on the way before heading back to the parking area. The hiking pace will be moderate along mostly flat, sand/grass/pine covered trails. If interested, the adventure will continue when we drive to the visitor center and hike the 1/4-mile Wacahoota Trail to visit the 50-foot observation tower to get a panoramic view of the prairie. You may see the wild horses or bison. The cost to enter the park is $4.00 for one in the car and $6.00 for 2 or more. You can pay at the ranger station, or you can prepay at Florida State Parks -.

We will meet at the Chacala Trailhead where you will sign the waiver. The hike STARTS at 10:00 so plan to get there by 9:45. The park opens at 8:00 and there may be a line to get into the park so take that into consideration. The address for the entrance of the park is 100 Savannah Blvd, Micanopy, off US-441. The parking area for the Chacala Trail is .8 miles on the right after the ranger station at Puggy Road. There are no bathrooms at the trailhead.
Meetup is not identifying the address. The GPS coordinates to the ranger station are 29.520018,-82.295285.

You MUST have water to join us. Your body will thank me. Also recommend snacks, bug spray, hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen.