Newnans Lake State Forest

Newnans Lake State Forest contains over 1,000 acres of natural land just east of Gainesville in Alachua County. This property has been in state ownership since 1921 when 3,000 acres were acquired to establish a residential farm community for Floridians with developmental disabilities. Over the years, parts of the 3,000-acre property were transferred to other state and local agencies. In January 2015, 1,005 acres of undeveloped land were assigned to the Florida Forest Service to manage as a State Forest.

Newnans Lake State Forest is named after Newnans Lake, which lies just east of the forest. Although shallow, this 6,000-acre lake is approximately 2 miles wide and 4 miles long. The gum and bald cypress swamps extending from the lake are the most intact natural systems in the State Forest and host a variety of wading birds and other wildlife. A couple of bald eagle nests are found adjacent to these swamps. Sunnyland Creek, Lake Ridge Creek and Lake Forest Creek flow through the forest into Newnans Lake. The State Forest is one link in a chain of public lands that runs along the lakeshore and protects this beautiful and historically significant aquatic feature. Trees such as slash pine, longleaf pine, loblolly pine, bald cypress, oaks, sweetgum, red maple, southern magnolia, black gum and hickory are all found in the forest.

Recreational activities in the forest include hiking, mountain biking, nature study, wildlife viewing and photography. In 2015, a 1-mile hiking trail was opened, giving visitors a sample of things to come. This trail, called the West Trail, was added to Florida’s State Forest Trailwalker Program. The parking area for this hiking trail is on the west side of State Road 26. In the spring of 2016, the Pithlachocco Bicycle Trail was opened, starting on the east side of State Road 26. This 5.5-mile loop trail provides a leisurely ride through hardwood and pine forests leading to views of Newnans Lake. In the fall of 2016, another hiking trail was opened. This 2.5-mile loop trail, which also begins at the Lake Pithlachocco Trailhead, offers hikers a shorter, more direct route to the lakeshore. Signage and wooden fencing identify the parking areas for these trails.

Although there are no launch sites in the State Forest, canoeists and kayakers can launch from public facilities on the southern and eastern shores of Newnans Lake and paddle along the lakeshore and into the swamps and streams of the forest.