View Full Version : San Felasco St. Park - Gainesville
NatureTalk
03-01-2009, 22:07
I'd like to cast my vote for the San Felasco State Park, which is just north of Gainesville, and just south of Alachua.
There are a couple of entrances. The easiest to find is on 441, a few miles south of Alachua. Easy access from I-75.
http://www.floridastateparks.org/sanfelascohammock/default.cfm
Will try to post some photos shortly. A nice variety of terrain. Well maintained bike and horse trails, the main activity of this park.
Gray Blazer
03-02-2009, 14:48
Nice park. Nice bike trails.
Have you done much walking off of Millhopper Road? I've done the south side years ago. I don't know much about the north side.
Gray Blazer
03-02-2009, 14:53
If you need any more squirrels, come by our house and take a few with you. We seem to have a plethora of squirrels.
BumpJumper
03-02-2009, 18:40
Um.....Did I miss something? What are we voting on?:confused:
Gray Blazer
03-02-2009, 19:19
Um.....Did I miss something? What are we voting on?:confused:
Geeeez! It's the guy's 7th post and you're flaming him already.
We Gainesburgers gotta stick together. You vote for whoever/whatever you want to, Nate T. Bumper can't take away your American right to vote.
NatureTalk
03-02-2009, 19:43
We are voting on whether we should be voting on stuff! :-)
So far, the yeas have it on a slim 2 to 0 margin, with the undecided poised to swing one side or the other to an early victory. CNN has declared the election too close to call. Wow, isn't this exciting!?
We have squirrel cages in almost every room of our house, so I must politely decline your kind offer to give us even more of the little buggers. As I typed this, my wife brought a few 5 week old babies over to say hello. Dang they're cute!
My good humor can be explained by having spent the entire day in the south side of San Felasco, off Millhopper Road. Hadn't been in awhile, and was glad to be back. Less than 5 minutes from my house, and refreshingly wild. Abandoned the trails mostly, and spent the day tromping through the woods.
The north side, off 441, is also excellent. It's considerably prettier, imho. Also a bit busier, but not enough to be a concern. I go to the north side all the time, pretty much any clear cool day I can. If you haven't explored the north side yet, definitely worth a visit. They've created trails through pretty much the entire park, so there's plenty of walking to do.
It's wonderful there now, with brand new spring green everywhere, flowering trees etc. Got some photos here, will try to post soon.
warraghiyagey
03-02-2009, 19:52
We are voting on whether we should be voting on stuff! :-)
I vote maybe. . .
BumpJumper
03-03-2009, 16:47
"Geeeez! It's the guy's 7th post and you're flaming him already."
Gray.....and you got FLAMING from WHERE in this remark?
It just made no sense to me. Thats all.
NatureTalk
03-03-2009, 19:25
No worries, no flame or offense was taken. But I do reserve the right to not make sense without warning. :-)
Gray Blazer
03-03-2009, 21:44
"Geeeez! It's the guy's 7th post and you're flaming him already."
Gray.....and you got FLAMING from WHERE in this remark?
It just made no sense to me. Thats all.
Don't flame me, bro!!
Gray Blazer
03-03-2009, 21:46
No worries, no flame or offense was taken. But I do reserve the right to not make sense without warning. :-)
Used to that in G-ville.
Please put a green smiley by all my posts in this thread (including this one..).
BumpJumper
03-04-2009, 07:26
ok.:D:D:D:D:D:D
I live between the two entrances to San Felasco. I bike at the Alachua site, and hike both north and south of Millhopper Road.
The State Park Nazis can be obnoxious, but other than that, its a great place to test that new pack or that new pair of boots.
NatureTalk
03-08-2009, 19:25
Sounds like we're close to each other Knocky.
I've had no problem with State Park folks at San Felasco. Parking seems to be their only concern. Every so often the good folks at Paynes Prairie issue various orders, but in a nice way.
I've tried, not always with success, to remind myself that State Parks in cities aren't exactly wilderness experiences. Someday San Felasco will be a real city park, with swing sets and such. There will be rope fences along each trail and little signs telling you where and when to breathe, and like that.
Trying to enjoy it as it is, while it's still as it is.
The Creek Sink and the Moonshine Trails at San Felasco are great! I checked them out a couple of months ago on my way through Gainesville. There's a little road noise from I-75, but they are cool trails.
I got a little video while I was out there in case anyone is interested:
http://wahoohiker.com/2009/02/17/hiking-san-felasco/
NatureTalk
03-10-2009, 19:39
Nice job Kevin, well done. Thanks for introducing me to your site. I've got a bunch of photos of San Felasco North Side, and maybe a video or two. Hope to upload shortly.
BumpJumper
03-11-2009, 11:17
Oh yeah Nature, you will never find Kevin without a camera either. His site is awesome.
NatureTalk
03-11-2009, 11:28
I've gone through various phases with my cameras. I originally bought them specifically to create nature web sites, and went wild the first year. I toted the tripod and a big pack of camera gear all over north Florida, down many miles of trails etc. The passion to film got me to many places I'd probably not have seen otherwise, which was great. And many fond memories are now recorded. I've got 120 vids from that time that I'll link to when my new site is more in order.
Then I got discouraged with the process of trying to translate nature experiences in to a format that could be consumed on the net. The difference between being there, and even a full screen video is pretty significant.
Warming up to the idea again now, with more realistic expectations.
There are so many places on Planet Earth that I'd love to visit, that I'll simply never have the time and money to reach. The net does serve a purpose there. Going in person is the best by far, but going via the Net beats not going at all.
Oh yeah Nature, you will never find Kevin without a camera either. His site is awesome.
Thanks! It keeps me out of trouble. I've been super busy lately with the day job, and trying to stay on top of my VISITFLORIDA stuff too. I'll get some new videos up there soon.
I've been all over the place these last couple of months, from down in the Everglades to Pensacola.
It is hard to capture the sights and sounds, and a lot of times that's why I don't set the videos to music, voiceovers, etc. I try to keep it as close to what I see as possible.
Hope to get back out there to San Felasco soon too!
NatureTalk
03-12-2009, 20:11
The new post notification for this thread arrived at the exact moment (no kidding, the exact moment) that I finished putting our San Felasco photos online. Spooky. Que the twilight zone soundtrack!
Anyway, here are our San Felasco photos, enjoy.
http://nature-talk.com/locations/florida/san-felasco-state-park/index.html
Gray Blazer
03-12-2009, 20:15
Nice pics. Gotta love the name Itchy Bottom.
BTW, Chief and I are hiking a little on Sat at Rice creek on the FT. Good chance to get in there before it gets really hot and swampy and buggy. Join us at the bridge on 100 at 8:30 if you'd like.
BumpJumper
03-12-2009, 20:54
Excellent pics Nature. That area looks so different than the Ocala Forest sections of the FT. Way more scenic.
NatureTalk
03-12-2009, 21:02
Thanks Bump. All the photos were taken from the north side, the bike trail side.
You know, I want to learn more about the Ocala N. Forest. I've driven through on SR 40, that's it. I need you guys to educate me on what I'm missing.