Micanopy, FL - Gainesville Hawthorne Trail

We found yet another rail-trail. The Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail is 16 miles each way. My favorite section was the first four miles just south of Gainesville. It runs along Paynes Prairie curving around sink holes and dipping and swerving through, what they call, the Hilly Hammocks. There are several spur trails and overlooks with views of the Prairie, Alachua Lake, and Paynes Prairie Creek. Keep your eyes out for the common armadillos and gopher tortoises. One of these days we're going to have to stop and pet an armadillo. We figure that since they appear so blind and deaf to our existence that we could walk right up and pet them. The trails that we've been on recently have been in very good shape. On this trail there were some sections that trees have begun to uproot, but they were clearly marked with yellow and black paint. With all the trees in the area, you have to expect some of these bumps.



The boardwalk along Paynes Prairie Creek.
Andy laughs as I take his picture over my shoulder...as I'm riding. He gets impatient when I want to stop to take photos, so occasionally I'll pull my old Nikon out of my butt-pack while I'm riding. And, sometimes it works!
My favorite section - the Hilly Hammocks. It was more fun going downhill on these s-curves, but uphill wasn't too bad.