Payne’s Prairie is a large open area just south of Gainesville in Micanopy. It is home to bison and wild horses as well as other wildlife. The Puc Puggy campground is where we stayed. The name Payne’s Prairie is more often used. I wonder why?
This campground is about 3 hours from our house. It is one of the furthest away that we have visited. We wondered if it would be a better choice for our yearly March trip for the Gator Nationals. We decided it was not.
The Campground and Campsite
All roads were paved, and we had no trouble finding, or getting into, our spot. But the campsite itself was small. Our trailer is 28 feet. We just barely fit the camper and truck into the site. The ground is hard-packed and a bit bumpy. I didn’t mind as it was better than loose sand.
We were in site #18. It was a good location, at the end of the RV row as you drive in. But I think it was one of the smaller sites. Next to us was a path that led to the boat ramp and fishing pier at the lake (fresh water). Beyond the trail, were the tent camping sites. So there was no one really on that one side.
To the other side, we could barely see our neighbors. The brush is thick and the whole campground is full of tall trees and vegetation. It’s a very pretty place with plenty of shade. Mosquitoes drove us in at sundown. An armadillo came both nights and rooted around in the leaves.
Campsite #18 felt a little cramped. The fire pit was right next to the picnic table, which could have been moved. But it was so close to the woods. It had been very dry, so we did not have a fire. No one told us not to when we checked in, but it seemed a little dangerous.
Campsite #18 is one of the “hammock” sites. My son brought his hammock to try. He tied it up to one of the biggest pine trees I’ve ever seen!
The bathhouse was spacious and seemed clean. The showers and attached changing rooms were larger than some others I’ve seen. There are two bathhouses in the campground.
Tent Camping Area Was a Little Weird
The tent camping area was set up a bit differently. Usually the state parks have a big area, usually with dirt roads, for tents. We almost always love the sites in the tent sections. At Payne’s Prairie, tent campers park along the campground road and walk all their stuff a short distance into the tent site. The area for tents seemed small and without much privacy.
The Lake and Pier
The map says this is Lake Wauberg. It has a boat ramp and nice fishing pier. We saw one gator floating offshore, but I’ll bet the lake is packed with them. We rode our bikes here from the campsite.
The Prairie and Visitor’s Center
The big reason to visit this area is to view wildlife in the prairie. I thought that the prairie would be closer to the campground, with trails to take us there. What we had to do was bike or drive two miles down a paved road, with no sidewalks, to the Visitor’s Center and then walk out to the trail. I did not want to ride my bike down the side of a road, so we drove.
Note: If you like walking, hiking, or e-biking, there are unpaved trails through the woods. But this is a 2 mile walk one way, and that is before you get to the Prairie trail.
The Visitor’s Center is very nice. It is worth a trip to see. The back wall is mostly glass, giving visitors a first view of the prairie. They have displays showing the history of the area, along with wildlife displays. They sell shirts, hats, books and more.
From there, we took a short walk to the tower. We had a nice view of the wetlands, and saw some wild horses way out in the field.
The Trails
To continue the viewing, hikers can take the Cones Dike Trail. This is a 4 mile (one way) walking or biking trail that follows the preserve boundary. We walked it for a short time, but it was a hot day. All we saw was horse tracks and manure.
On the eastern side of the road (which dead ends at the Visitor’s Center) are more trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding. These are wooded, unpaved trails.
The map above shows the Campground in Blue, the Visitor’s Center and tower in pink. Other trails are in yellow. We wanted to go over to La Chua Trail, which was about 10 miles by car, but it was too hot to walk the trail so we didn’t go.
For more information and trail planning see the list at Alltrails and also at the State Parks site. Be aware that dogs are not allowed on many of the trails. I doubt they are allowed up the tower either, but that didn’t stop people from taking their poor dog up there.
Advice For a Visit
Visit Payne’s Prairie when the weather is cool enough, for most of the day, to be comfortable walking, or biking. April is too hot. To see the north part of the prairie you need to drive from the campground. There is a long, paved, biking trail (Gainesville-Hawthorn State Trail) but it is also far away.
I’m sure there is a lot of beautiful nature to see, but hiking in Florida is not a favorite pastime of mine. I don’t care about seeing alligators, and would prefer not to be that close to them. I’m not big on ticks and mosquitoes or sweating profusely. I see plenty of great nature when we go boating.
Remember that this park is open to the public. The park closes at 8:00pm but up until then, the boat ramp, fishing pier, tower, and Visitor’s Center could be very busy.
In closing, I doubt very much we will ever camp here again. We decided that we like Mike Roess Gold Head Branch much better for camping.
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