The draw for a 2-hour drive to Payne’s Prairie was that you could see bison and wild horses roaming free. Good luck! I understand that having wild animals right where you want them at any given moment probably involves a zoo situation, but maybe park websites should post a “chances are” percentage rate when talking about how likely you are to see those animals.
I started with the Visitor Center. It’s set back from the parking lot and sort of gives you a wilderness feeling right off the bat. The center itself is small but interesting.
I asked where the best place would be to see the bison. The docent informed me that he hadn’t seen any bison in a couple of months. When I voiced my disappointment, he said he felt like he should put things in perspective for me: there are 27 bison roaming free over 22,000 acres. Well, yes, that certainly made things clearer. It also made me wonder why I’d bothered to drive two hours to get there. Nevertheless, I like hiking and knew I’d probably find something interesting while exploring the surrounding area.
I trudged up to the top of the observation tower and the view was gorgeous. Although those specks in the distance are wild horses, it was a little disappointing to know that’s the closest I was likely to get.
I decided to explore one of the trails. The walkway quickly tapered off and I found that, even though I’m healthy and agile, I had to continually keep my gaze on the trail because of the massive tree roots waiting to send me flying.
You see that last sentence on the sign? I suddenly felt like the threatened species.
The quiet of the forest had been wonderful up to that point so I could only hope any black bears in the vicinity would be accustomed to hearing human footsteps and weren’t interested in engaging with us. If not, I’d be in trouble. Climbing a nearby tree didn’t appear to be a good option and they probably run faster than I do.
I decided it was time to head back to the Visitor Center and get directions to the north entrance.
I stopped to take in the lake (still don’t really understand a lake on a prairie) and then continued on.
If I thought the prospect of black bears was intimidating, this was not any better. In fact, now I had to worry about outrunning horses, bison and alligators.
I commented to a nearby couple on the path that I’d heard alligators could run 35 miles per hour on land. The woman said the ranger told her that was true but only for 25 feet, so if I stayed 30 feet away, I’d be fine.
Didn’t sound like a plan to me.
The boardwalk went over the water and had great views of scores of ibis (or are those egrets?). Then it tapered off to dry land with absolutely zero barriers between the dozens of alligators lining the banks and our juicy little ankles. I stayed well back; others did not (how smart are they?). I also decided not to go too far down the path, even if there were herds of bison and horses farther down. I figured by the time I returned they might be ready for an afternoon snack.
All in all, it was an interesting day and worth experiencing. Maybe next time I’ll be brave enough to venture farther down the trail and be lucky enough to encounter a few of those 27 bison on their 22,000 acres.
- * 100 Savannah Blvd., Micanopy, Florida
- * $6 but since I visited alone, mine was $4. I think it’s 2 or more for $6 (I could be wrong)
- * 352-466-3397
- * The Visitor Center is wheelchair accessible. The observation tower is not, nor is the trail nearby. The boardwalk at the north entrance (Lachua Trail entrance) is accessible.
- * http://www.floridastateparks.org
Lisa Browder 
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