My buddy Judy celebrated her birthday last week. To celebrate, we made the short trip to Gainesville to camp at Payne’s Prairie. We took back roads and avoided I-75, so we were already relaxing by the time we got to Payne’s Prairie State Park.
Florida is HOT in June!
First, let me just say that tent camping in Florida in June is only for the courageous. It is hard to say which was more troublesome: mosquitoes or deerflies. But I can promise that the heat was ridiculous. It was hard to fall asleep even after a relaxing shower and staying hydrated was a challenge given that we were sweating our brains out. BUT – if you must tent camp in June, Payne’s Prairie is a pleasant place to do so.
Our Campsite
Payne’s Prairie tent-only sites do not all have power and water. Check before reserving if that’s important to you. Water is available at the bathhouse, of course, but water is heavy and you may not want to carry it. Our camping loop comprised three tent sites – 27, 28, and 29. To get to site 27, you had to walk through 28, but our site, 29, offered superb privacy. We used water from site 27 since no one was camping there.
Surprisingly, there appear to be NO raccoons in this park! I don’t think I’ve ever tent camped in Florida without being awakened by rummaging raccoons. Our site provided a picnic table and a tall post with a hanging hook where a lantern could be hung. There is some road noise from I-75, but it was nearly inaudible over the cicadas and tree frogs.
The Visitor Center
The visitor center is staffed by knowledgeable volunteers and overlooks the prairie. You’ll have the opportunity to watch an overview movie that lasts about 20 minutes – we were eager to get on to the trail and did not watch the movie. We did, though, enjoy the other displays. From the large window, we could see bison in the distance!
Observation Tower and a Bit of Advice
From the visitor center, it is just a short walk to the three-level observation tower, and it is worth climbing to the top for a beautiful view of the prairie. My best advice for viewing the prairie is to give it time. This is not a sight like the Grand Canyon or a coral reef – you can easily be deceived into thinking there is nothing to see. But the longer you watch the prairie, the more there is to see, and you could overlook something wonderful by not giving this place time to unfold before your eyes.
Karst Geology and Alachua Sink
Up on the tower, you get a sense of how vast the prairie is, and how Florida’s karst geology informs its landscape. This prairie was formed as sinkholes merged. As often happens in Florida where water and plants are left to work together naturally, the plants form a filter to purify the water. The amount of life nourished by this system is unimaginable. Bear, deer, smaller mammals, waterbirds of every kind, alligators and smaller reptiles, fish, plants. . .it’s all here.
At the end of the 19th Century, Alachua Sink (the major drain of the Prairie) got blocked and the prairie was covered by a large lake. During the two-decade blockage, ferryboats used the lake to travel from Gainesville to Micanopy (pronounced mih-ka-NOPE-ee) and fishermen were delighted. Imagine their disappointment in 1891 when the blockage disappeared, taking the lake with it!
Lake Wauberg
Part of the Lake Wauberg lakeshore is accessible from within the state park. There are lovely places to sit and enjoy the lake, a boat launch for boaters and kayakers, and you can even fish if you are properly licensed. The lakefront is a really nice place to sit in the late afternoon and enjoy something cold to drink and you cool off from the heat of the day.
Hiking
If you like hiking, there are trails for every skill level at Payne’s Prairie and in the immediate area. A large wall in the visitor center provides information about the length of each trail and what you may see on each one. I would have liked to see better trail information, especially since there was no guidance once actually on the trail. When we go back for more hiking, we will bring our own maps. We hiked more at Sweetwater Preserve than we did at Payne’s Prairie, mostly because Sweetwater was shaded.
When you hike at Payne’s Prairie, be prepared with plenty of sunscreen and water. We had been warned to bring insect repellent but did not find it necessary on Cones Dike Trail, which led us straight along the edge of the prairie. Plentiful waterbirds were in evidence, along with lizards, a doe and her fawn. . .but no buffalo or wild horses.
We have both decided that we’d love to come back to camp here again, but only during cooler weather. The primitive camping conditions (no water/power onsite) just made the heat a bit too much for us to bear. With a regular afternoon rainstorm, it might have been cool enough to stay in tents, but we got no rain while we were there. In the air-conditioned popup or an RV summer camping would be bearable on sites with power and water.
