Saturday, September 17, 2016

Payne’s Prairie State Park–Micanopy, FL

Our trip to Payne’s Prairie SP was almost cancelled because of hurricane Hermine, but luckily it only caused a power outage that delayed our trip by a day. 

Doe
Doe near the campsite

Our campsiteOur campsite was back in the woods, and our nearest neighbors were a few campsites away, so we had a nice quiet spot.  The only concern from by the hurricane was the campground was on a “boil water” notice, but we brought our own water, so that wasn’t a problem.  Overlook

There are several hiking trails in the park; some long and some short.  One spot that is a must see is the overlook tower next to the visitor’s center.  The tower is three levels high, and offers an amazing view over the prairie.  The visitor’s center is staffed, and I recommend stopping by just to learn a little about the park.

Lakeside amphitheaterIn addition to hiking some of the trails, we took a walk from the campground out to Lake Wauburg.  There were a few picnic areas (complete with barbeque grills) along the way, and also a small amphitheater overlooking the lake.

There is a small footbridge that crosses a swamp on the edge of the lake that gives a nice view across the water.

Panorama from footbridge
Panorama from Footbridge

This is a great area for wildlife spotting – the park has wild bison, wild horses, deer, alligators, and just about everything else that is native to Florida.  We didn’t spot the bison on this trip, but I’m sure we’ll have better luck on our next visit.

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Empty Museum
Native American Heritage Preserve

Website
Fee
Reservations
Electricity
Water
Shower / Bathhouse
Internet Access
Lat, Long

$24 per night
Yes.  Reserve America
15/30/50 Amp Service
Yes
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4G LTE (T-mobile)
29.526228, -82.294853

Photo Gallery

Another picnic area
Picnic Area
Cute spider
Cute Spider
Deer Running
Deer running
Doe and fawn
Doe and Fawn
Deer watching
Deer Watching
Old tank in the woods
Tank in the woods
Visitor Center
Visitor’s Center
Purple mushrooms
Purple Mushrooms
Walk to Lake Wauburg
Walk to Lake Wauburg

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