Special Events for Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park

• JUST READ FLORIDA! - PAYNES PRAIRIE STATE PARK
  Date: Saturday, September 13th, 2008. 10:00 a.m to 12:00 noon.
  Description: Join a park ranger for a reading of How Gimble Gopher Tortoise Found a New Home . A story of friendship, teamwork and preservation. This reading will be followed by a presentation about alligators.
  
  Fees: Admission to the park is free with your library card or the donation of a new or gently used, family appropriate book.
  Contact: For more information, call 352-466-3397.
  
• GREATER GATOR DUATHLON
  Date: Sunday, September 14th, 2008. Starts at 7:30 a.m.
  Description: Run - Bike - Run through Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park which contains over 20 distinct biological communities providing a rich array of habitats for wildlife, including alligators, bison, wild horses, and over 270 species of birds. Exhibits and an audio-visual program at the visitor center explain the area´s natural and cultural history. A 50-foot-high observation tower near the visitor center provides a panoramic view of the preserve. Eight trails provide opportunities for hiking, horseback riding, and bicycling.
  
  Click here for information on registration, fees, and categories:
  Greater Gator Duathlon
  
  Fees: See above link for more information.
  Contact: See above link for more information.
  
• TOM WALKER MEMORIAL HALF MARATHON
  Date: Saturday, November 8th, 2008. Starts at 8:00 a.m.
  Description: Run on the scenic, paved Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail, free of car traffic (but not of deer and gopher tortoises!). Proceeds benefit the Florida Track Club and the Friends of Paynes Prairie. Help support both the running community and the beautiful Paynes Prairie nature preserve.
  This is a Florida Track Club Grand Prix event
  
  Tom Walker Memorial Half Marathon Registration Form
  
  Fees: See registration form.
  Contact: For more information, call 352-378-8725.
  

Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park Ranger Programs

• RANGER'S CHOICE
  End of the month, November through April.
  FREE with $4.00 park entrance fee. These Saturday activities will vary. Program topics may include birding by ear, twelve thousand years of people and the Prairie, trees and tracks of the Preserve, exploring Lake Wauberg by canoe/kayak, riding through time on the Gainesville Hawthorne trail, and more! NO PETS.
  20 person limit. Call the Visitor Center at (352) 466-4100 for reservations and details.
  Call (352) 466-4100 for more details.
• GENTLE WALK AND TALK
  November through April. This program runs every Thursday (except Thanksgiving), November through April. Begins at 9:00 a.m. and is approximately 2 hours long. This gentle walk takes you to the edge of the prairie basin and Alachua Sink, plus areas of the Preserve only accessible with a guide. Challenge yourself to identify birds, butterflies, trees, and wildflowers along the way, or just enjoy a peaceful stroll. This walk is suitable for those who aren't hikers but still want to have an outdoor Paynes Prairie experience. The pace is slow and comfortable and your guide will stop and talk about what is encountered. Also learn Paynes Prairie’s significant history, including a tour of the old Camp Ranch bunkhouse, now the North Rim Interpretive Center.
  10 person limit. Call the Visitor Center at (352) 466-4100 for reservations. $2.00 per person (suggested donation).
  Call 352-466-4100 for more details.
• RIM RAMBLE
  Third Saturday of the month, November to April.
  Experience the Real Florida by following in the footsteps of noted naturalist and artist William Bartram. The rim ramble is a half-day hike, 3.5 miles ranger-led. The heavily shaded trail rambles around an array of fragile sinkholes. A panoramic view of the freshwater wetland is seen from Persimmon Point. 20 person limit.
  Call 352-466-4100 for more details.
• WILDLIFE WALK
  Second Saturday of the month, November to April.
  Join one of the Preserve's rangers and take a walk on the wild side. This leisurely paced excursion onto the prairie basin provides a wonderful opportunity to observe the unusual plants and magnificent animals that inhabit the vast 21,000-acre preserve. The three-mile walk leads to an observation deck overlooking Alachua Lake. Walk is 3-4 hours. 25 person limit. Call (352) 466-4100 for reservations and to confirm walk. This walk is dependent on the water levels on the prairie basin.
  Call 352-466-4100 for more details.
• CAMPFIRE PROGRAMS
  Every Saturday evening, November to February.
  FREE with $4.00 park entrance fee or campsite. Ranger-led campfire programs about Paynes Prairie's cultural and natural resources will vary weekly. Topics may include the Timucua Indians, native medicinal plants, pottery of the past, flint knapping and atlatls, wild horses, bison, cattle and tales of Cracker Cowboys, William Bartram's Travels, wildlife of the Preserve, birds of prey, snakes, alligators, and more. Programs begin at dusk. Bring your marshmallows. Call the Ranger Station for the program start time and topic (352) 466-3397. NO PETS.
  Call (352) 466-3397 for more details.
• OVERNIGHT BACKPACKING TRIP
  First Saturday of the month, November to March.
  The overnight trip is a moderately strenuous hike of approximately 6.5 miles over level to slightly rolling terrain (not recommended for children). The pack in, pack out hike begins mid-morning Saturday with a 4.5-mile hike to Persimmon Point. Sunday's return hike skirts along a two-mile section of the picturesque north rim of the prairie basin. It concludes around noon Sunday at the starting point. Call (352) 466-4100 for reservations up to 60 days in advance. Fee is $10 per person, 20 person limit.
  Call 352-466-4100 for more details.