UF track and or trails

track is open almost all the time, there are a few random "nature parks" scattered about gainesville. i would recommend checking a park services website to find them all. San Felasco state park north of gainesville is your best bet for lots of soft surface trails, that is the number one place you need to check out.

Great thanks. I also heard the football stadium is open most of the time to the public? So I can bring the kids and they can climb the stairs and run on the field and all that?

The above poster is right. Track is usually open. San Felasco is the place for lots of soft trails. Just ask someone how to get to Millhopper Road (also known as NW 53rd Avenue) and go west. You'll see the signs and a small parking area on the left (south) side of the street, though most of the trails are on the right (north) side of the street.

The stadium is open most days, so you and the kids can run around in the stands. You are not allowed on the field, though. Those groundskeepers take that turf VERY serious. You won't get arrested or anything, but still.

If you'll have kids, while you're here, check out the Devil's Millhopper State Geological Site. It is on Millhopper Road, just west of 43rd St. 4 bucks per car, half mile trail around it, plus the stairs to take you down into it. What is "it"? The Devil's Millhopper is a gigantic sink hole into which water flows to replenish Florida's aquifer. There is really good nature information there, as well as lots of fossils and archeological artifacts that have been found there.

Also, check out the Florida Museum of Natural History on the edge of the UF campus on 34th St. They've always got kids' programs going on.

And welcome to Gainesville!

I would also add the Gainesville / Hawthorne State Trail. You can connect to it just south of downtown (map on the page linked below). Paved and wide, but free of traffic (minus just a few road crossings).

It puts you in Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, which has some really neat overlooks of Alachua Lake. There is 1.5 mile spur where you will almost surely see alligators lounging off to the side. Not recommended in the twilight hours. I used to see lots of armadillos also.

http://www.prairiefriends.org/newfroghatpage.html

Nice this trip is sounding better every moment. Thank you guys.

Gville-Hawthorne trail is good.

There are also other good trails at Payne's Prairie, but that are more for walking/hiking than running.

http://www.floridastateparks.org/paynesprairie/activities.cfm#22

Scroll down to the Hiking part.

The track is open to the public except on weekdays between one and six Pm.

Head on out down SR 26 and come visit me in Newberry. I'm very lonely.

Quenton_Cazzidy wrote:

Head on out down SR 26 and come visit me in Newberry. I'm very lonely.

Ick. My company's office is in Newberry. Nothing special. Although, they recently opened a Mamma Mia's Pizza in Newberry. The one in Gainesville is outstanding.

Let's be honest, Newberry Rd does not necessarily equal Newberry. I define Newberry as anything west of Dudley Farm and anything east of that is still Gainesville.

Don't run too close to the lakes, the gators will get ya. I'm not even kidding... be very careful when by the lakes

Checked out UF this summer wrote:

Don't run too close to the lakes, the gators will get ya. I'm not even kidding... be very careful when by the lakes

So are you saying I should not soak my legs in a lake after my run, :)

Stache - you bring back lots of good memories. I have no memories of stairs at Devil's Millhopper. But I do remember my sister getting a little too much speed while bushwacking (we weren't even on a trail) down and then cartwheeling over a small cliff. And I worked for several years in Vert Paleo at the Florida State Museum during high school. This was before it morphed into the FMNH. Good stuff. I wish I had run then cuz I'd be faster now.

Thanks for all the tips. Great trip.

Ran all around campus, lots of dirt paths and grass on and around the campus. Got on the track no problem.

Kids even got to go down on the stadium field, maybe because it was the end of the regular season? BTW the stadium was not open on Sunday if anyone plans to do that.

Also did the museum on campus, really cool. They have a butterfly thing going on so the girls were happy.

All and all good trip even if I am not a gator.

Well, glad we could help.

This is one of the things I really love about letsrun. There is a big enough community here that can give good advice on decent things to do or see pretty much anywhere in the country.

The Stache wrote:

Well, glad we could help.

This is one of the things I really love about letsrun. There is a big enough community here that can give good advice on decent things to do or see pretty much anywhere in the country.

Totally agree and thanks again.

Made me nostalgic for good ole' Gainesville. Until I remembered what it felt like to run, shower, and then continue to sweat post shower.

SilkySlim wrote:

Made me nostalgic for good ole' Gainesville. Until I remembered what it felt like to run, shower, and then continue to sweat post shower.

Yeah, summer blows here. But yesterday it was 26 in the morning and today it was ~33. High of 50ish yesterday. So, it's pretty nice running now.