There’s plenty of wildlife in Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park near Gainesville, but the animals that visitors are most surprised to see in Florida are the bison and wild horses.

The bison are here because they used to live here – evidence suggests that when Spanish arrived, the great herds of American bison extended this far south.

As for the horses, the Spanish brought them, and the ones in the park are their descendants.

Paynes Prairie is a vast park (21,000 acres) that is special enough to be one of 18 Florida National Natural Landmarks. The broad savannah looks a little like the Everglades, spotted with wetlands and lakes. It is a great place for hiking, biking, camping and particularly wildlife viewing.

Because no roads cross the park, you access it from either its southern or its northern end, and each has its own attractions.

The northern end of the park has the justifiably famous La Chua Trail, where you can expect to see alligators. In winter, they’re piled in a heap in the marsh area at the start of the trail, near the Alachua Sink, a natural sinkhole that drains water collected on the marsh into the aquifer. They’re also lurking in the weeds along the trail. (Watch your step.)

The trail starts with a boardwalk with good views over the sink, the wetland and its wading birds. Beyond the boardwalk, a grassy trail extends 1.5 miles into the prairie with a wildlife viewing platform at the end. (In summer, you should take this walk only if well-prepared – there is no shade and temperatures can push 100.)

If you’re lucky, the La Chua Trail is also the best place to see the park’s wild horses.

When I visited, several horses grazed on flowers and grasses in and along the trail near the viewing platform at the end. I had hoped to see wild horses, perhaps in the distance; we didn’t expect to share a 10-foot-wide trail with them. (We were warned they are not friendly so we edged carefully past them, keeping as great a distance as the path permitted.)

On the southern end of the park, there are a half dozen trails to explore and a 50-foot-high observation tower overlooking the prairie. You reach the observation tower after a short walk through a lovely forest thick with drapes of Spanish moss. A tip: Morning lighting is best for looking over the prairie.

It’s here where you are more likely to see bison, according a ranger. There is a herd of 50 to 70 bison, descendants of a group of 10 introduced in 1975.

We didn’t spot bison, but we did see flocks of turkeys and a buck with a full rack of antlers.

The other big wildlife attraction has been, in some years, flocks of migratory sandhill cranes. Some sandhill cranes live in Florida year-round, but this region has attracted large populations some winters.

On the southern end of the park, rangers highly recommend the Bolen Bluff Trail, a 2.5 mile roundtrip through a shady loop with a spur that leads to a wildlife viewing platform, a place where you might spot any of the animals that frequent the park.

For more about Paynes Prairie State Park, visit its website:

Things to do near Paynes Prairie:

Bring your bike and enjoy one of Florida’s best bike trails, the scenic, paved 16-mile Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail, which cuts across the top of the park. To access this trail, you need to approach from the north and check the map for trailheads. Here’s more information on the Gainesville-Hawthorne trail:

Near Paynes Prairie is the picturesque Old Florida village of Micanopy, home to the historic bed and breakfast, the Herlong Mansion.

Visit Cross Creek, home of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Yearling.

Bonnie Gross is co-founder of FloridaRambler.com, where you can find new ways to experience the natural and authentic Florida.

Bonnie Gross is co-founder of FloridaRambler.com, where you can find new ways to experience the natural and authentic Florida.