Gainesville Hawthorne Trail Head

"Located at the east end of the Gainesville Hawthorne trail, this trailhead has parking, a portable toilet, picnic tables and is nicely shaded. The water fountain was not working during my visit though. The trail is 15 miles long, and more if you go into Gainesville at the west end."

"Great park for riding, walking or skating trails. Well maintained."

"The Gainesville Hawthorne Trail is an ideal biking trail close to home! Because this is a rail to trail bike trail you don't have to worry about riding on the side of a busy road at any point. The trail is 15 miles long and paved. There are 2 main places to park to begin your journey - one by Boulware Springs and the other in Hawthorne (tip: type in Island Doctors in Hawthorne if you're trying to find the parking lot - it's right beyond Island Doctors.) The main place to park over by Boulware Springs takes you past an entrance to Paynes Prairie LaChua Trail - you can park your bike and take a quick hike to check it out. Leaving from the parking lot by Boulware Springs also brings you to a beautiful overlook of Alachua Lake. The main drawback to picking up the bike trail from here is the steep hills you need to go up at the beginning of your ride. If you're athletically inclined this may not be an issue. However, I am not such a person and didn't do well at all (on my first ride I thought I might die) until I got an e-bike. Now I really enjoy the ride when I pick up the trail from that location. Parking at the lot in Hawthorne is a lot less busy. It's a quieter and less hilly bike ride leaving from there. You pass a lot of cows leaving from this location which is pretty neat. We try to bike this trail at least once a month. Going the 30 miles round trip is definitely not something we've done - but there are plenty of places to stop and turn around. This bike trail is a Gainesville gem - don't miss it!"

"This well-managed rail trail is absolutely beautiful with lots of diverse micro-environments, scenic views, and many amazing trees! We started in the town of Hawthorne and rode our bicycles all the way to Gainesville. The last leg of the journey into Gainesville was a lot of fun with several exciting hills and a few scenic overlooks. There was also a bridge over a rather fast flowing creek through a cypress forest that was interesting and beautiful as well. The trail acts as a corridor between several wildlife management preserves, parks and other community oriented locations."

"Fantastic trail for bike rides. The roads were paved again last year and are pretty smooth. The 15 mile section has a good tree cover, so pretty bearable even on hot summer days. Stack up on some energy bars and water though. There are just one water fountain each at either end of the trail."