Chacala
Trail - Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park - Micanopy, FL
Pictures, a video clip, and visitor info
from the Chacala Trail in Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park in Micanopy,
Florida.
 US Highway 441 |
 Paynes Prairie Sign |
 Wildlife Crossing Sign |
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 Chacala Trail Sign |
 Visitor Center - Puggy Rd. |
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| Some of the creatures that can be seen on the Chacala trail include armadillos, hawks, woodpeckers, wild turkey, bald eagles, turtles, gopher tortoises, and butterflies. You may also run into a few wriggling green "hanging caterpillars" that are suspended by a thin filament from a tree branch. | ||||
 Chacala Trail Info Sign |
 Chacala Pond, Jackson's Gap |
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| Other paths in the park accessible from the main entrance are the Wacahoota Trail, Cones Dike Trail, Jackson's Gap Trail, and Lake Trail. The Visitor Center (9 AM to 4 PM) is also located near the main entrance of the park where you can enjoy a variety of exhibits and the view from a 50 foot high observation tower. | ||||
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| Once you've explored all of the trails near the main entrance of Paynes Prairie, you can visit other parts of the 22,000+ acre park such as Bolen Bluff Trail off Hwy 441, the Ecopassage Observation Boardwalk (Hwy 441), the 16 mile paved Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail popular with bicyclists, and La Chua Trail in Gainesville at SE 15th St. If you'd like to see alligators up close, I'd highly recommend checking out the La Chua Trail. (No pets allowed on La Chua for obvious reasons.) | ||||
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| Just a few of the recreational activities possible in Paynes Prairie Park include hiking, bicycling, fishing, boating (electric motors only), canoeing, camping, horse riding, picnicking, and wildlife viewing. | ||||
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 Pinecone |
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 Black & Red Spider |
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 Chacala Pond Spur |
 Swamp Area |
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 Bench By Pond |
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 Chacala Pond |
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| While walking the Chacala Trail, I captured a few videos and later edited them together into one short clip. It includes one of the interesting green hanging caterpillars that we encountered on the path. To view the video clip, click on the blue link below. To download the video to your hard drive, right click on the link and choose "Save Target As" or "Save Link As". | ||||
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 Hanging Caterpillar |
 Armadillo |
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 Picnic Tables |
 Parking Lot |
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| For more of my related photo galleries, click on the following links: La Chua Trail - Paynes Prairie Preserve Park, UF Homecoming Parade, Palm Point Nature Park, UF Gators Vs. USF Bulls, Import Face Off - Gainesville Raceway, UF Gator Gallop, UF Gators Vs. Redhawks, Lakeridge Winery, University of Florida Campus, SW 34th St Graffiti Wall, Gators Vs. Buccaneers Tailgating, Florida Caverns State Park - Marianna, Gators Vs. Canes, Motocross of Marion County, American Heroes Air Show, Kanapaha Botanical Gardens, Gainesville Raceway - Test & Tune, Gainesville Show Shine & Sound, Lake Alice, St. Augustine, Devil's Den - Williston, and the Ironwood Golf Course. | ||||