Hiking Around Florida

Hiking at Torreya State Park, Florida Panhandle

Hiking Payne's Prairie

Hiking O'Leno State Park, Florida FL

Whether you want to spend a few hours or camp overnight, we offer a variety of hiking trips to suit your passion. 

Most trips are scheduled in moderate weather in the Central Florida area.  Locations we frequent include: Payne's Prairie, Newnan's Lake and O'Leno State Park.  We've also hiked in Torreya State Park in Florida's Panhandle and incorporated short hikes into our whitewater paddles, overnight kayaking trips, and camping events.

Hikes around Gainesville and other areas are coordinated by our event leaders, who map out the routes and plan all details of your trip.  Some hikes are simply short jaunts of two to three miles around a local park, such as Morningside Nature Park that has several trails through its wooded grounds.  Other hikes involve several miles of hiking, usually in the state parks around the Central Florida area.

Adventure Club members can login to our website and get all the details for hiking events and sign up online.  Here are some of the places we go hiking here in the Gainesville, Florida vicinity:

Payne's Prairie Preserve State Park
Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park is located in north central Florida in Alachua County. It is known for its outstanding wildlife viewing opportunities including bison, cracker horses and cattle, alligators, sandhill cranes, and over 270 bird species. The principal physical feature of the preserve is a 16,000 acre freshwater marsh/wet prairie known as Paynes Prairie. The preserve includes the Prairie and some of the surrounding uplands for a total of nearly 22,000 acres. Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park is recognized as one of the most significant natural and cultural areas in Florida. It is the first preserve in the Florida Park System and was nominated to the National Register of Natural Landmarks in 1974.

Newnan's Lake
This large, 6,000-acre lake on eastern border of Gainesville is a great lake to canoe or kayak or bike alongside. Lots of gators, wading birds, osprey, eagles.

O'Leno State Park
Located along the banks of the scenic Santa Fe River, a tributary of the Suwannee River, the park features sinkholes, hardwood hammocks, river swamps, and sandhills. As the river courses through the park, it disappears underground and reemerges over three miles away in the River Rise State Preserve. One of Florida's first state parks, O'Leno was first developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s. The suspension bridge built by the CCC still spans the river. Visitors can picnic at one of the pavilions or fish in the river for their dinner. Canoes and bicycles are available for rent. While hiking the nature trails, visitors can look for wildlife and enjoy the beauty of native plants. The shady, full-facility campground is the perfect place for a relaxing overnight stay. Located on U.S. 441, six miles north of High Springs.

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More Events Not to Miss:
Community Service
Manatee Kayak
Biking
Adventures in Reading Book Club
Whitewater Rafting
Scalloping
Water Day
Kayaking
Halloween Party
Hang Gliding, Hot Air Ballooning and Camping Weekend
Teddy Bear Holiday Party