The Gainesville-Hawthorne Rail-Trail State Park stretches 16 miles from the City of Gainesville’s Boulware Springs Park through the Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park and the Lochloosa Wildlife Management Area. As such, the trail takes you through some of the finest natural areas in north central Florida.
It is wooded and quiet even though it travels close to busy highways and country roads. The entire trail is a pleasure to ride, and there are even a few hills to climb and speed down. If you take your time and visit La Chua trail in Paynes Prairie, you might even have an opportunity to see bison, wild horses and sandhill cranes.