Find the top rated walking trails in Gainesville, whether you're looking for an easy short walking trail or a long walking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a walking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
The Black Creek Trail parallels U.S. Highway 17, from Orange Park south to Black Creek Park near Lakeside, FL, just south of Jacksonville. Passing through scenic forest and wetlands, the trail...
Suwannee River Greenway includes an east-west route between the Suwannee and Ichetucknee rivers, as well as a short north-south section the starts mid-way between the two rivers and heads to the Santa...
One of the Sunshine State's best-kept trail secrets, the Nature Coast State Trail connects five small rural towns—Cross City, Old Town, Fanning Springs, Trenton and Chiefland—along a T-shaped, 32-mile...
The Palatka-to-St. Augustine State Trail currently runs through the communities of Armstrong, Elkton, and Vermont Heights in northeastern Florida. Much of the route follows State Route 207, hence its...
The Waldo Road Greenway, Depot Avenue Rail-Trail, and Kermit Sigmon Bike Trail are seamlessly connected as part of Gainesville's ever-expanding rail-trail network, offering users three trails in one....
The West 6th St Trail utilizes an abandoned rail corridor that runs partially parallel to West 6th Street, through an urban area of Gainesville. The paved hiking and biking pathway connects to the...
The Withlacoochee Bay Trail extends from the Gulf, north of Crystal River and south of Inglis, nearly 5 miles east to just beyond North Suncoast Boulevard. The trail provides access to a 758-acre...
Connecting the university town of Gainesville with rural Hawthorne, this 16.5-mile trail makes for a great day trip, complete with a hill or two and plenty of wildlife. While the path roughly...
The 46-mile Withlacoochee State Trail is a must-do pure Florida experience for any trail enthusiast. Situated between Orlando and Tampa, it hosts a steady stream of visitors and locals on its paved...
Although the State Route 21 Multiuse Path is not scenic, as it closely parallels its namesake roadway, it does provide an important connection between the charming community of Keystone Heights and...
The Archer Braid Trail runs for 6 miles between the cities of Archer and Gainesville in north-central Florida. Future construction will continue the trail east to the University of Florida. The paved...
This 12-mile paved path joins two outstanding north central Florida state parks, Ichetucknee Springs and O'Leno. The greenway goes through the town of Fort White and includes a little rolling terrain....
Lying largely within the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway, this trail passes 2.5 miles through stands of cypress and across the Withlacoochee River over a magnificent new (in 2014) bridge....
Just west of bustling downtown Jacksonville, the Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail-Trail, one of north Florida's oldest, traverses a rural setting of hardwood uplands, wetlands and pine flatwoods. A dense...
The Palatka-Lake Butler State Trail corridor stretches nearly 47 miles from State Route 238 in Lake Butler to west of US 17 in Palatka. Currently, 20 miles of this route are paved and open for public...
The Palatka Urban Trail provides a safe bike-ped route over St. John’s River via Memorial Bridge. The trail is a connector between the Lake Butler-Palatka section and the Palatka-St. Augustine Trail....
The UF Campus Greenway was completed in 2016 and now winds across the University of Florida in Gainesville, uniting the east and west sides of the sprawling school grounds. The beautiful, paved trail...
This 12-mile paved path joins two outstanding north central Florida state parks, Ichetucknee Springs and O'Leno. The greenway goes through the town of Fort White and includes a little rolling terrain....
The Withlacoochee Bay Trail extends from the Gulf, north of Crystal River and south of Inglis, nearly 5 miles east to just beyond North Suncoast Boulevard. The trail provides access to a 758-acre...
Lying largely within the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway, this trail passes 2.5 miles through stands of cypress and across the Withlacoochee River over a magnificent new (in 2014) bridge....
One of the Sunshine State's best-kept trail secrets, the Nature Coast State Trail connects five small rural towns—Cross City, Old Town, Fanning Springs, Trenton and Chiefland—along a T-shaped, 32-mile...
Although the State Route 21 Multiuse Path is not scenic, as it closely parallels its namesake roadway, it does provide an important connection between the charming community of Keystone Heights and...
Just west of bustling downtown Jacksonville, the Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail-Trail, one of north Florida's oldest, traverses a rural setting of hardwood uplands, wetlands and pine flatwoods. A dense...
The Palatka-to-St. Augustine State Trail currently runs through the communities of Armstrong, Elkton, and Vermont Heights in northeastern Florida. Much of the route follows State Route 207, hence its...
Connecting the university town of Gainesville with rural Hawthorne, this 16.5-mile trail makes for a great day trip, complete with a hill or two and plenty of wildlife. While the path roughly...
The Palatka-Lake Butler State Trail corridor stretches nearly 47 miles from State Route 238 in Lake Butler to west of US 17 in Palatka. Currently, 20 miles of this route are paved and open for public...
The Archer Braid Trail runs for 6 miles between the cities of Archer and Gainesville in north-central Florida. Future construction will continue the trail east to the University of Florida. The paved...
The 46-mile Withlacoochee State Trail is a must-do pure Florida experience for any trail enthusiast. Situated between Orlando and Tampa, it hosts a steady stream of visitors and locals on its paved...
The Black Creek Trail parallels U.S. Highway 17, from Orange Park south to Black Creek Park near Lakeside, FL, just south of Jacksonville. Passing through scenic forest and wetlands, the trail...
The Waldo Road Greenway, Depot Avenue Rail-Trail, and Kermit Sigmon Bike Trail are seamlessly connected as part of Gainesville's ever-expanding rail-trail network, offering users three trails in one....
The UF Campus Greenway was completed in 2016 and now winds across the University of Florida in Gainesville, uniting the east and west sides of the sprawling school grounds. The beautiful, paved trail...
The West 6th St Trail utilizes an abandoned rail corridor that runs partially parallel to West 6th Street, through an urban area of Gainesville. The paved hiking and biking pathway connects to the...
The Palatka Urban Trail provides a safe bike-ped route over St. John’s River via Memorial Bridge. The trail is a connector between the Lake Butler-Palatka section and the Palatka-St. Augustine Trail....
Suwannee River Greenway includes an east-west route between the Suwannee and Ichetucknee rivers, as well as a short north-south section the starts mid-way between the two rivers and heads to the Santa...
The West 6th St Trail utilizes an abandoned rail corridor that runs partially parallel to West 6th Street, through an urban area of Gainesville. The paved hiking and biking pathway connects to the...
Suwannee River Greenway includes an east-west route between the Suwannee and Ichetucknee rivers, as well as a short north-south section the starts mid-way between the two rivers and heads to the Santa...
Just west of bustling downtown Jacksonville, the Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail-Trail, one of north Florida's oldest, traverses a rural setting of hardwood uplands, wetlands and pine flatwoods. A dense...
The Black Creek Trail parallels U.S. Highway 17, from Orange Park south to Black Creek Park near Lakeside, FL, just south of Jacksonville. Passing through scenic forest and wetlands, the trail...
Connecting the university town of Gainesville with rural Hawthorne, this 16.5-mile trail makes for a great day trip, complete with a hill or two and plenty of wildlife. While the path roughly...
The Palatka-to-St. Augustine State Trail currently runs through the communities of Armstrong, Elkton, and Vermont Heights in northeastern Florida. Much of the route follows State Route 207, hence its...
This 12-mile paved path joins two outstanding north central Florida state parks, Ichetucknee Springs and O'Leno. The greenway goes through the town of Fort White and includes a little rolling terrain....
The Archer Braid Trail runs for 6 miles between the cities of Archer and Gainesville in north-central Florida. Future construction will continue the trail east to the University of Florida. The paved...
The Waldo Road Greenway, Depot Avenue Rail-Trail, and Kermit Sigmon Bike Trail are seamlessly connected as part of Gainesville's ever-expanding rail-trail network, offering users three trails in one....
The 46-mile Withlacoochee State Trail is a must-do pure Florida experience for any trail enthusiast. Situated between Orlando and Tampa, it hosts a steady stream of visitors and locals on its paved...
Although the State Route 21 Multiuse Path is not scenic, as it closely parallels its namesake roadway, it does provide an important connection between the charming community of Keystone Heights and...
The Withlacoochee Bay Trail extends from the Gulf, north of Crystal River and south of Inglis, nearly 5 miles east to just beyond North Suncoast Boulevard. The trail provides access to a 758-acre...
Lying largely within the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway, this trail passes 2.5 miles through stands of cypress and across the Withlacoochee River over a magnificent new (in 2014) bridge....
The UF Campus Greenway was completed in 2016 and now winds across the University of Florida in Gainesville, uniting the east and west sides of the sprawling school grounds. The beautiful, paved trail...
The Palatka-Lake Butler State Trail corridor stretches nearly 47 miles from State Route 238 in Lake Butler to west of US 17 in Palatka. Currently, 20 miles of this route are paved and open for public...
One of the Sunshine State's best-kept trail secrets, the Nature Coast State Trail connects five small rural towns—Cross City, Old Town, Fanning Springs, Trenton and Chiefland—along a T-shaped, 32-mile...
The Palatka Urban Trail provides a safe bike-ped route over St. John’s River via Memorial Bridge. The trail is a connector between the Lake Butler-Palatka section and the Palatka-St. Augustine Trail....
Hawthorne parking lot needs work! Weeds are knee high and a fair amount of trash!. Great ride and trail is in good shape! It would not take much work to bring the parking lot up to the same standards as the rest of the trail! I’m
I rode the trail for the first time this morning. Very wide trail, and it appears like the horizon is all straight paved trail. Smooth ride into the shaded areas. I went a good four miles and headed back. great trail to test bike performance, certainly a good trail to test all 21 speeds on my 21 speed. I look forward to biking the trail again, further and faster.
Others have warned on here of car break-ins, but recently a woman was held at gunpoint at the sweet water outlook and was demanded to give up her bike, phone, and wallet. This is a beautiful trail, but now I don’t feel as safe riding on it.
Be aware that there have been a lot of car breakins at this parking lot at Boulware Park. Our car was broken into on Wednesday May 23, 2018. Gainesville PD report numerous monthly break ins at this lot...BEWARE AND LOCK UP, LEAVE NO VALUABLES.
Lots of good things happening on the trail in 2018. The construction east of Roberts Lane is coming along nicely and should be finished in the fall of 2018. At this time the bridge over Rice Creek is close to being finished.
Also in the news..
The ribbon cutting for the NEW pavilion at the Florahome trail head took place on May 23, 2018. A really nice pavilion with 4 tables (handicap accessible). A nice spot to get out of the sun.... Or rain in Florida.
Also a ribbon cutting for the NEW playground at the Florahome trail head took place on May 20, 2018. A really nice shaded area for the kids to play.
Coming soon to the trail head an information kiosk filled with history of the park and grounds that used to be the Florahome train depot. The park that the pavilion and playground are a part of is called Palmetto Park.
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Started from the Vermont Heights ¿ trailhead, ¿
new restrooms here, not finished yet.
Rode north 2.4 miles to the end near I-95.
Rode south about 6.2 miles to the new trailhead at Armstrong Park. Restrooms, parking and picnic tables available.
West about a mile to the end in Spuds at CR-207. Can see trail work in progress West of CR-207.
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Crossing CR-207 both times easy with Flashing lights and cooperating drivers.
Returned to Vermont Heights for a 17.4 mile ride.
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The trail was fantastic! Parked at Twin Lake Road and headed toward Palatka. Some minimal debri but smooth cycling with plenty of wild life. I’m really looking forward to the trail being complete so I can cycle safely to St Augustine. April 20, 2018
My wife and I had the pleasure to ride this trail last Saturday, March 31, 2018. We are not professional riders, but instead enjoy riding and stop and smell the roses from time to time. This trail is not a "thigh burner". It is very clean, the restrooms at the head of the trail are clean and there are park benches offering people a chance to have a snack. I liked the trail and it gives some panoramic views of "low country" Florida. We will go back.
We have rode this trail many times but not lately. It is an 82 mile drive from our home. It is still worth the drive, You always have the feel of the old rail line as the trail sits atop a tram bed with the ditch on both sides, it reminds you of the work that went into building all our railroads. Bugs were only bad if you stopped for a long time. It was Easter Sunday and it was well used but not crowded, We saw two rattlesnakes and many birds. The description on the page says there is plenty of restaurants and stores at both ends, this is not true. In fact there is none. The construction of the US 301 bypass by Baldwin does not really affect your ride. If you are in North Florida this trail is always a good trip,
Rode this trail yesterday, end to end. A great trail but... when I returned to my car at the Roberts Lane parking lot I discovered my car window shattered. Nothing was stolen, just pure vandalism. Park somewhere else.
I recently rode my bicycle on the part of the trail from Cross City to just past Old Town where the bridge across the Suwannee River is. It is a wonderful ride... an easy, scenic ride. Can't wait to do it again and ride on even more of the trail.
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