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Morningside Nature Center
4.6 ★★★★★ 450 Google reviews · Running trail in Gainesville, Florida · Posted hours
Runner's snapshot
- Surface
- Boardwalk
- Distance
- Not reported
- Shape
- Not reported
- Shade
- Tree cover
- Access
- Posted hours
Confirmed from Morningside Nature Center's own listing, the park or land manager's website, and runner reviews. Blank cells mean we could not verify that fact — we would rather say "not reported" than invent one. There is no Easy / Moderate / Hard rating on this page on purpose: a one-word difficulty score tells you nothing about whether a trail suits your run. Surface, distance, shade and hours do.
Nature center with more than 7 mi. of trails, farm animals, guided tours & events.
What runners say about Morningside Nature Center
“The area is well kept and has a lot to explore.”
“Gorgeous park with numerous places to sit, a bird blind and a farm!”
“The trail is semi-shady and great to walk on.”
“Morningside Nature Center is a very peaceful and quiet place to visit.”
Morningside Nature Center is a very peaceful and quiet place to visit. I stumbled upon this place on accident one day and was surprised to find a farm with animals! The area is well kept and has a lot to explore. The trail is semi-shady and great to walk on. I recommend visiting the center!
Love to come here and visit the animals. There are cows, chickens, sheep, and feral hogs. The hours for this area are slightly shorter than the park's hours though so plan accordingly. There is also a decent length of trail here, and it's a great place to find many species of birds.
That’s a good escapade within Gainesville. The park has 3 trails- 0.8 miles, 2 miles and 3 miles. I recommend to anyone though who wants to hike them to do it in the fall-winter-spring or early in the morning in the summer.
Gorgeous park with numerous places to sit, a bird blind and a farm! Trails aren't that long with the longest maybe 3.5 miles long. Unfortunately, no dogs allowed.
Trail conditions & character
“Gorgeous park with numerous places to sit, a bird blind and a farm!”
“Morningside Nature Center is a very peaceful and quiet place to visit.”
“The trail is semi-shady and great to walk on.”
Plan your run at Morningside Nature Center
The practical stuff
- AccessPosted hours — posted hours below; park gates sometimes close earlier than the listing says
- SurfaceBoardwalk — flat and scenic, and slick when wet, so watch your footing
- DistanceNot reported. Trail systems often quote total path mileage rather than a single loop, so measure the route you actually want before you drive out.
- ShadeRunners describe real tree cover here — it makes a summer afternoon workable
- At the trailheadrestrooms, water — reported by runners
- Websitegainesvillefl.gov
- Phone(352) 393-8240
Hours
| Monday | 8 AM–6 PM |
| Tuesday | 8 AM–6 PM |
| Wednesday | 8 AM–6 PM |
| Thursday | 8 AM–6 PM |
| Friday | 8 AM–6 PM |
| Saturday | 8 AM–6 PM |
| Sunday | 8 AM–6 PM |
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