Date Night: The La Chua Trail

Well, maybe not date night, but I had to stick with the title :)

If you haven't been to the La Chua trail, you definitely need to check it out. It's on the southeast side of town and is the northernmost part of Payne's Prairie. The 2-3 mile trail starts near the Hawthorne trail, crosses under a segmet of old railroad, and then works its way through the old stables. It then opens up onto the prairie at the head of a spring-fed river. The path follows the river down to a lookout point where you can see the wide expanse of the prairie to the south. When I first moved here (2007), the water was low, but there was water everywhere and gators all over the place. Everywhere. Now, the water level is higher and right up next to the trail, but there is more vegetation in it, so there is less open water. It's interesting to see how it changes over time - the landscape is a little bit different every time I go. For those of you who are into nerdy things, it's a karstic area, so the formation and erosion of the limestone bedrock is what affects the water levels. There is plenty of wildlife to see on the trail - from ladybugs to a variety of birds to gators to wild horses and hogs. Definitely worth a visit!

http://floridahikes.com/paynes-prairie-lachua