Prairie Creek Preserve

SUMMARY

Size: 606 acres
Years conserved: 2005 to 2015
Partner organizations: Florida Communities Trust, Alachua County Forever, and Paynes Prairie State Park


ABOUT THE PRESERVE

Prairie Creek Preserve and the surrounding 1,150 acres were purchased by ACT from 2005 to 2015. Over 500 acres were then added to Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, while another 96 acres were added to Alachua County Forever’s Conservation Lands Program. The remainder comprises Prairie Creek Preserve, a 606-acre nature preserve that includes Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery, a natural burial ground that also conserves land.

Prairie Creek drains Newnans Lake, one of the largest lakes in north Florida, towards Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park and Orange Lake. The upland areas of the preserve are made up of flatwoods, mesic and hydric hammocks, and wetlands that include cypress swamps, depression marshes, and blackwater streams. The basin provides a corridor along an important flyway through this part of the state – annual bird surveys always find large and diverse populations of migrating and local birds. Wildlife seen recently include: bald eagle, swallow-tailed kite, red-headed woodpecker, northern bobwhite, wild turkey, gopher tortoise, American alligator, golden mouse, river otter, and Florida black bear. There is also great floral diversity within the preserve’s boundary, with aquatic plants such as blue-flag iris, water lilies, lotus, pickerel weed and lizard's tail in showy blossom in the spring.

Prairie Creek Preserve has a well-maintained trail network that winds through a wide variety of habitat types. Areas that were previously in planted pine are in the process of being restored with longleaf pine and wiregrass, and you may also notice signs of prescribed fire within these areas.

PRAIRIE CREEK LODGE

Prairie Creek Lodge functions as the headquarters for ACT and as a meeting space for various ACT events. Prairie Creek Lodge has been used for numerous environmental education seminars and workshops that are usually free and open to the public. Previous topics have included mushrooms, spiders, birding by ear, basket weaving, fire ecology, edible plants, etc. Please check ACT's calendar for upcoming events (mostly in the spring and fall). Outside of ACT’s public events, the Lodge is open by appointment only on weekdays from 9am-5pm.

TRAILHEAD ADDRESSES

Access Prairie Creek Preserve by parking at Prairie Creek Lodge located at 7204 SE CR 234, Gainesville, FL 32641 (Google Map)

To access Witness Tree Junction trailhead please park in front of the Gainesville Hawthorne Trail at the intersection of CR 2082 and CR 234 or use the following GPS coordinates: 29.596036, -82.228025 (Google Map)

To access Kelly Crossing directly you must enter by bike or foot from the Gainesville Hawthorne Trail. There is no vehicle parking.

GENERAL RULES & GUIDELINES

  • Preserve is open from sunrise to sunset.

  • Dogs are welcome as long as they remain on a leash.

  • Trails are unpaved and in some places can be muddy, uneven, or wet.

  • Drones are not permitted without permission from ACT.

  • Motorized vehicles are prohibited.

TRAIL MAP

Click on the map image to download the full preserve guide.

A portion of Prairie Creek Preserve was purchased with funds from the Florida Communities Trust.

Banner image by Kim Davidson.