- Alachua County and Florida Forever opened a new 69-acre preserve called Little Lake Santa Fe Preserve with a 0.81-mile loop trail for public use.
- The preserve is located at 20201 NE 132nd Ave., Waldo and is managed under a 50-year county lease with trail access for walkers, runners, cyclists, and horse riders.
Alachua County and the Florida Forever program cut the ribbon on a new 69-acre preserve at Little Lake Santa Fe on Friday, so Mainstreet sent reporters to check it out on Saturday morning.
Reporters confirmed the preserve was called Little Lake Santa Fe Preserve (see photo) and that the preserve was in fact on Little Lake Santa Fe just southwest of Waldo and northeast of Melrose. Also verified was the given address (20201 NE 132nd Ave., Waldo) and presence of a small parking lot.
Alachua County entered into a 50-year lease to manage the property and public access, including a loop trail that reporters marked as 0.81 miles compared to the advertised full mile.
The trail is open to walkers, runners, horse riders and cyclists, according to a Monday press release. Mainstreet reporters noted that the trail was also in use by common ground doves, with one Carolina Wren heard nearby. The trail is mostly dirt, pine needles and wood chips that runs through pine uplands.
There’s also a bench along the far side of the trail from the parking lot, as seen in the brochure (included below).
“Every Florida Forever project has a lasting impact, and Little Lake Santa Fe Preserve is no exception,” Bradley Perry, director of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of State Lands, said in a press release. “This investment protects an important piece of Florida’s natural heritage while creating a place where families can explore, learn and enjoy the outdoors for years to come.”
The preserve is on the same road as the South Tract of Lake Alto Preserve if visitors want to add the 1.6 miles (unverified) of the Canal Trail to the outing.
