Outdoors · Gainesville
Share Gainesville, FL parks, trails & bike paths
About 12% of Gainesville is conserved land, roughly 4,809 acres. There are about 58 miles of mapped trails, and the biggest networks are in Morningside Nature Center (5.1 mi), Sweetwater Wetlands Park (3.7 mi), and Split Rock Conservation Area (3.1 mi).
Conserved land, trails, parks and bike routes in Gainesville, measured from OpenStreetMap and USGS data.
At a glance
Share Gainesville outdoors
Conserved land
12%
4,809 of 41,589 acres
Trails
58 mi
0.9 mi per sq mi · 34 on conserved land
Parks & preserves
61
33 conserved acres per 1,000 residents
Bike routes
149.9 mi
113.1 mi lanes · 31.0 mi off-road paths
Conserved land is a share of the whole town area. Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
🏊 Alight Gainesville Apartment Pool 🏊 Florida Pool 🏊 Northeast Pool 🏊 Sunbay Pool 🏊 Tanglewood Pool 🏊 Weschester Pool 🏊 Unnamed public pool in T B McPherson Recreation Complex 🏊 Unnamed public pool in Westside Recreation Center 🛝 DIamond Village Playground 🛝 Splash Pad 🛝 Westside Park 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground in Mother Lucille Perkins Tot Lot 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground in Depot Park 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground in Cofrin Nature Park 🛝 Unnamed playground in Westside Recreation Center 🛝 Unnamed playground in Springtree Park 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground in Kiwanis Park 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground in Greentree Park 🛝 Unnamed playground in Alfred A. Ring Park 🛝 Unnamed playground in Hogtown Creek Headwaters 🛝 Unnamed playground in Oakview Park 🛝 Unnamed playground in Oakview Park 🛝 Unnamed playground in Pleasant Park 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground in Roper Park 🛝 Unnamed playground in Tom Petty Park 🛝 Unnamed playground in Tom Petty Park 🛝 Unnamed playground in Reserve Park 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground in Duval Park 🛝 Unnamed playground 🛝 Unnamed playground in Fred Cone Park 🛝 Unnamed playground in Possum Creek Park 🛝 Unnamed playground in Northside Park 🛝 Unnamed playground 🐕 Possum Creek Dog Park 🐕 Spyglass Dog Park 🐕 Unnamed dog park 🐕 Unnamed dog park 🐕 Unnamed dog park 🐕 Unnamed dog park 🐕 Unnamed dog park 🛶 Unnamed boat launch 🛶 Unnamed boat launch 🔭 Unnamed scenic view in Lake Alice Conservation Area 🔭 Unnamed scenic view 🔭 Unnamed scenic view in Bivens Arm Nature Park 🔭 Unnamed scenic view in Sweetwater Wetlands Park 🔭 Unnamed scenic view in Sweetwater Wetlands Park 🔭 Unnamed scenic view in Sweetwater Wetlands Park 🔭 Unnamed scenic view 🔭 Unnamed scenic view 🔭 Unnamed scenic view in Alfred A. Ring Park 🔭 Unnamed scenic view in Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park 🔭 Unnamed scenic view in Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park 🧺 38th Street Park Picnic Area 🧺 Oak Canopy Picnic Area 🧺 Unnamed picnic area 🧺 Unnamed picnic area 🧺 Unnamed picnic area 🧺 Unnamed picnic area 🧺 Unnamed picnic area 🧺 Unnamed picnic area 🧺 Unnamed picnic area 🧺 Unnamed picnic area 🧺 Unnamed picnic area in Alfred A. Ring Park 🧺 Unnamed picnic area 🧺 Unnamed picnic area in Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park 🌱 McRorie Community Garden 🌱 Unnamed community garden 🌱 Unnamed community garden in Reserve Park 🌱 Unnamed community garden in Fred Cone Park 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Show all of Gainesville
Places to walk
Parks & preserves with trails
Ranked by mapped trail miles. Directions go to the nearest marked trailhead or public parking.
1 Morningside Nature Center Managed by City of Gainesville
406 acres5.1 mi of trail
Flatwoods Loop Trail West Perimeter Trail Galiberry Trail Blueberry Trail North Perimeter Trail
🐕 Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet Show on map
Website
2 Sweetwater Wetlands Park Park
257 acres3.7 mi of trail
🐕 Dog rules not recorded
3 Split Rock Conservation Area Nature preserve
239 acres3.1 mi of trail
Main Trail
🐕 Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet Show on map
4 Four Creeks Preserve Managed by Alachua County Parks
704 acres2.8 mi of trail
Blue Trail Yellow Trail Connector trail
🐕 Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet Show on map
98 acres2.5 mi of trail
Hogtown Creek Path Hogtown Creek Greenway hogtown creek greenway Mason Manor Boardwalk
🐕 Dog rules not recorded
206 acres1.7 mi of trail
Flatwoods Trail South Pond Trail South Loop Hardwood Hammock Trail Cypress Overlook Trail
🐕 Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet Show on map
Website
48 acres1.7 mi of trail
🐕 Dog rules not recorded
8 Clear Lake Nature Park Nature preserve
266 acres1.4 mi of trail
The Snake
🐕 Dog rules not recorded
All 61 parks & preserves
Showing 1–10 of 61 parks & preserves
🌲 Morningside Nature Center 406 acres · 5.1 mi of trail · City of Gainesville
🌳 Sweetwater Wetlands Park 257 acres · 3.7 mi of trail
🌲 Split Rock Conservation Area 239 acres · 3.1 mi of trail
🌳 Four Creeks Preserve 704 acres · 2.8 mi of trail · Alachua County Parks
🌳 Loblolly Woods North 98 acres · 2.5 mi of trail
🌳 San Felasco Park 206 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
🌳 Butler North 48 acres · 1.7 mi of trail
🌲 Clear Lake Nature Park 266 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
🌳 Bivens Arm Nature Park 89 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
🌳 Veterans Memorial Park 70 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
Things to do
Beaches, playgrounds, falls & more
Pick a kind of place for the list, directions, or pins on the map above.
Public pools in Gainesville Show all on map
🏊 Alight Gainesville Apartment Pool
🏊 Unnamed public pool in T B McPherson Recreation Complex Fee
🏊 Unnamed public pool in Westside Recreation Center Fee
Trails
Named trails
Open to bikes 10.0 mi Unpaved 34.2 mi
Showing 1–10 of 25 trails
Blue Trail 1.5 mi Main Trail 1.3 mi Yellow Trail 1.1 mi Hogtown Creek Greenway 1.0 mi Hogtown Creek Path 0.6 mi Flatwoods Loop Trail 0.5 mi West Perimeter Trail 0.5 mi Galiberry Trail 0.5 mi Flatwoods Trail South 0.5 mi The Snake 0.5 mi Water
Lakes & rivers
Showing 1–10 of 22 places
Tap a name for directions.
Who protects the land
4,809 conserved acres
Who manages it, from PAD-US. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional Water Districts
1,199 ac USDA easements (NRCS)
838 ac Land trusts & nonprofits
35 ac Conserved doesn't always mean open to visitors. 838 acres are conservation easements, which are usually private land. The places listed above are parks and preserves people visit.
Biking & sports
Bike routes, courts & fields
Painted or protected bike lanes 113.1 mi Off-road bike paths 31.0 mi Shoulders & shared lanes 5.9 mi
Courts & fields Tennis 115 Basketball 53 Pickleball 24 Baseball 24 Beach volleyball 22 Soccer 21 Football 11 Counts include school and college facilities, which aren't always open to the public.
Public lands
The biggest protected places in Gainesville
From USGS PAD-US: who manages each one and whether visitors are welcome.
Local Other or Unknown 1,256 ac Local Conservation Area 978 ac Agricultural Easement 838 ac Unknown Easement 838 ac Local Park 577 ac
Showing 1–10 of 15 places
Place Managed by Acres Public access
Gum Root Park Local Other or Unknown Town or city 369 Open Newnans Lake Conservation Area Local Conservation Area Regional Water Districts 361 Restricted Morningside Nature Center Local Recreation Area Town or city 267 Open Split Rock Conservation Area Local Conservation Area Town or city 238 Open Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park State Conservation Area State parks 228 Open Sugarfoot Prairie Conservation Area Local Conservation Area Town or city 195 Open San Felasco Park Local Other or Unknown Town or city 191 Open Flatwoods Conservation Area Local Conservation Area Town or city 155 Open Loblolly Woods Nature Park Local Other or Unknown Town or city 154 Open Lake Alice State Other or Unknown Other state land 129 Open
History
Historic places to visit
Showing 1–10 of 58 places
🏛️ Anderson Hall Building · 1913
🏛️ Bryan Hall Building · 1914
🏛️ Bryant Space Science Center Building
🏛️ Buckman Hall In Buckman Courtyard · Building · 1906
🏛️ City of Gainesville Plaque
🏛️ Dauer Hall Building · 1936
🏛️ East Florida Seminary Plaque
🏛️ First Gainesville Skirmish Plaque
Nearby
Share Gainesville and its neighbors
Towns whose outdoors data has been built so far.
Town Conserved Trails Parks & preserves
Gainesville 11.6% 57.8 mi 61 Alachua 15% 21.3 mi 5
Trail talk
Conditions & tips from neighbors
No recent posts about Gainesville's trails yet. Muddy, icy, a bridge out, where to park: a quick post helps the next person.
Sources: trails, parks, preserves, courts and bike lanes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), map data as of 2026-09-28. Conserved land: USGS Gap Analysis Project, Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) . Measured against the Census town boundary.
How we measure "Trails" are OpenStreetMap paths, bridleways, public tracks and unpaved footways, plus footways inside a park or preserve or on a named trail route. Sidewalks are left out. Areas are counted on a 41.3-meter grid, so overlapping parcels count once. "Conserved" includes conservation easements, which protect land from development but are usually private property. Trailheads are the nearest marked trailhead, public parking lot or information board within about 150 meters of a preserve. Dog rules come from OpenStreetMap when someone has tagged them; otherwise we show what's typical for the land manager, or say the rules aren't recorded.
Places in Gainesville → · Living in Gainesville →