In today's somewhat sterile world, its kind of amazing to walk as close as you dare to dozens of these dangerous animals, some that look like they are 10 feet long. The Alachua Sink trail is covered with them. Real Florida nature and its free to boot.
This place was gorgeous! The sun was shining, the sky was super blue and the birds were chirping!! The place was just breathtaking!
We tent camped for two nights in February 2015. The campsites were quite good with vegetation between sites as a privacy buffer. The bathhouse with showers was exceptionally well thought out and clean. Roads were in very good condition. The key pad at the entrance was convenient to use after a late arrival. And the staff at the visitor's center were knowledgeable and enthusiastic. The tower was closed for repair which was disappointing. The Cone Levee Trail is very inaccurately listed as a trail. It is actually a perimeter road that was just a few inches high. in the mile, I walked it the "trail" neither provided access to the interior nor an overview of the prairie.
We have gone in the northern entrance twice. Each time we saw a great many huge alligators, some very close. There were also many birds, including Sandhill cranes. On our last visit, an armadillo almost tripped over us on a heavily used path. Unfortunately, when we went in late February most of the cranes had already begun their northern migration. Our one visit to the southern section was disappointing. We saw very little wildlife on our walk along Cone's Dike Trail, but we did see what appeared to be many bison tracks. Too, the visitor center was very pleasant and informative and was well staffed and had nice, clean rest rooms. Early morning and early evening rides along the park borders on 441 were very productive. We saw many Great egrets, Snowy egrets, White Ibises, and Wood storks, as well as a Bald eagle and various song birds.
An easy stroll through flat grounds to see multiple massive alligators is always worth it. Went on a holiday weekend, so it was jam-packed with families - so don't expect a quiet journey into nature unless you go early in the morning. Went on a sunny day so that the gators would up on the banks sunning - so there were plenty of opportunities to be as close to them as you feel comfortable.
I only spent 2-3 hours inside because of lack of time. But the sceneries were gorgeous! I love the animals inside. I saw alligators and horses!
We went this last weekend and reserved 3 tent sites. We had a great time the facilities were clean, the showers were hot and had great water pressure. The sites were well separated where you felt as if you had privacy. The Jr ranger program was entertaining for the kids. The surroundings were beautiful. We also hiked the aloocha trail in which we saw alligators, birds, armadillos and bison.
My first time seeing alligators in the wild (on the La Chua trail, if I remember correctly). Saw some gorgeous birds and wild horses too. It's an amazing place.
Wonderful Park right outside Micanopy:)...loved the convenience of this Park...Still needing A Wal-mart Supercenter!! Its 15 miles to Gainesville OR Ocala! whew!
The view is gorgeous, the sky out there was so blue, and the background was just amazing. My wife was like a little kid looking into the marsh trying to find Gators :)