Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park

Stayed here on an overnight stopover and wish we could have stayed longer. Easy back in spots for the most part, camp sites are level, spacious, and fairly private. Numerous hiking trails wind through the preserve. Bathhouses were very clean and easily accessible. Park personnel were very friendly and helpful.
The only thing to watch for is the price. The rate is $22 per night but that’s before taxes and state fees. Those additions bumped the nightly cost to $31.86.
Still, it’s a nice place to stay and I’d stay there again without hesitation.

Campsites are pretty level, clean and spacious. Foliage between lots. Picnic table and fire pit provided.
Some tv Channels, able to use Verizon and AT&T cell service, internet good.
Visitor center a must do. Lots of trails from 1 mile to 8. Pick your level. Biking also.
Quiet and a pleasure after cramped RV parks!
Electric and water. Dump station.

Only negative (it is Florida) be sure your dogs have tick repellent on. And check yourself and dogs after walks. We were here in February and it was quite warm,
High 80’s.

I was worried because our rig is not only long but tall, but we had no problem getting into our site. The road into the park is a little tight, but just take it slow. Most of the sites are fairly private with lots of trees above and around. Our site was nice and level.

Satellite was a no go for us, but our Verizon and Att Phones and hotspots worked just fine. We didn’t use the bathhouses, so I can’t say what they are like. The park was quiet and had some very nice tent sites that were off of the road.

The park is about 15 minutes from the nearest Publix. The town of Micanopy is cute and worth a visit. The Cuban at Old Florida Cafe was excellent and we enjoyed dinner, drinks and live music at The Depot.

We didn’t see any bison, but we did see some horses and cattle. We are hoping to return and spend more time here.

Paynes Prairie Preserve campground is about 20 minutes away from Gainesville and there isn't much around the park itself. The closest town is Micanopy and it's pretty small. The campground is one of the smaller ones in the Florida State Park system but it can accomodate pretty much all sizes of rigs depending on what is available. Our 40 foot motorhome was able to navigate the roads pretty well but some of the campground roads can be pretty tight for a rig that size. So just go slow and be careful.

The bathrooms and showers are well kept and very nice. The campsites are a hard surface and ours was very level. Most of them seem to be that way. There is a beautiful lake nearby and a visitors center for the Payne's Prairie that can be found by going a ways beyond the campground turnoff on the main park road.

We highly recommend going to the visitors center. There is an observation tower there that affords a wonderful view of the prairie and if you bring binoculars you may see lots of birds, wild horses and even some bison. Yes, I know, I didn't think bison could be found in Florida, but boy was I wrong. There is a bison herd in this area and apparently bison used to be found frequently in Florida. Interesting!

Our AT&T cell reception was very good with our cell booster and we had very fast internet speeds up to about 30 mps on our downloads. Shopping for food and other items is mostly found in Gainesville about 20 minutes away, but anything you need can be found there. Pearl's Country Store is close by though and they have great barbecue sandwiches and desserts.

We enjoyed our stay and would definitely visit again.

We were here for a three day weekend and I have to say that this has been one of our favorite places in this part of the state.

The park rangers were very pleasant and professional. The camp sites were large, and while you can see other sites there was enough foliage between the sites that you don’t feel stacked on top of one another.

The entire park was immaculate. The showers were fantastic and the trails were gorgeous. Lots of wildlife to be seen.

The nearby town of Micanopy was just as cute as it could be (have you seen Doc Hollywood?).

At a cost of only $18 per night this place is hard to beat for a weekend getaway.

Paynes Priaire is very magical, where old oak trees in their majestic arms hanging over the canappy of the park. There is a big lake within walking distance of the campground with a boat ramp and fishing is allowed with a license. There are many trails to explore in your stay. The paths in the park are not very well marked and the rangers need to mark the walking paths better. If they would color code the walking trails and paint the wood stakes showing where to go, would be easier to follow. The State Park is vast area to walk and not all of the walking trails are in the same area of where you camp. There are horses and buffalo in the pastures, which you can see from the observation deck at the visitor center.

This park is not designed for big rigs... Big Rigs beware. When making the reservation you have no idea how big or how small the sites are. We had selected site 43 and there was no way to back in that site with all the trees and limbs across the street, the road in the rv park is just to narrow. We called the gate to speak with the ranger and they gave us either site 4 or 40. Site 4 is not big rig friendly. Now site 40 is as you pull in the parking lot of the bath house and back right in to your new digs. There are only one or two other sites worthy of a big rig site.

All sites are on packed dirt and rocks with a camp fire ring and grill. The bath houses are just okay, nothing special. There is hot water but the pressure is real low. there is no heaters in the bath houses. This is an old park worthy of staying in the winter, not the summer as the bugs would be unmerciful. The park is family friendly.

We spent a couple weeks in Florida over Christmas. I must say that Florida State Parks in general were impressive. Payne's Prairie was a great park and the camping fees were surprisingly low - only $18 with water and electric! The bathhouse was clean, and I loved how much room I had in the shower for keeping my dry items dry (if that makes sense). There was ample foliage between sites to help them feel a bit more private. I know it's just the luck of the draw, but we had no issues with noise. Everyone around us was respectful. Our site was some type of gravel. We did have to use leveling blocks, but not many. There was a picnic table, for sure. I can't remember if there is a fire pit, but there probably was! We never use them.

My husband and I enjoyed a lovely jog to the observation tower. The bird watching was amazing. I'm sad we didn't see the horses other folks mention. This campground had plenty of places for walking and riding bikes.

One word of warning: make sure you take the gate code if you even think you'll be out after 5:00 PM. We learned the hard way, and I spent a long evening in panic mode.

Our new favorite Florida State Park that doesn’t have a beach. Campsites are for the most part private and the foliage is thick and palmy. Restrooms are clean and well-maintained and the showers are plenty hot. So many trails to hike and bike on. Lake Wauberg borders Hwy 441 on the way to the Main Entrance and Ranger Station. The lake is beautiful and trails connect it to both the campground and Savannah Boulevard. Every morning Bob the dog and I rode (he ran) about four miles on both paved and two-track roads and trails. The temperature has hovered around forty degrees and Bob loves it.

Jackson’s Gap Trail is named after a “local cracker cowman” and traverses through high ground with majestic live oaks and plenty of Spanish moss. Remains of the old homestead border the trail and is off-limits to trespassers. We restricted our hiking to the area near the campground and main entrance to the visitor center and observation tower. The north entrance to the park is probably the most amazing aspect of Paynes Prairie where alligators, wild horses, bison, and birds abound.

We camped here last year and loved it, so of course we just had to come again. Last year we rode our bikes and hiked. We especially enjoyed the view from the observation tower, across the prairie and watching the horses... just beautiful. This year we drove into Micanopy for lunch where we had the pleasure of listening to local musicians while we ate. We found out that Micanopy is becoming quite the little artist community and we thoroughly enjoyed strolling the streets, perusing the many antique shops and art galleries. We plan to camp here again soon so we can visit the nearby Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Homestead. We aren't able to get TV reception here but we had good Verizon cell phone service. The campsites are level and the beautiful Florida oaks, pines, and palmettos surround you with their beauty.
Our price reflects our senior Florida resident discount.