The route covers approximately 72 miles through Marion and Alachua counties, crossing a vast agricultural and ranching region of north central Florida shaped by historic railroad corridors, protected natural areas and small rural communities established during the railroad expansion of the nineteenth century. The ride connects communities such as Reddick, Lowell, Zuber, Anthony, Sparr, Citra, Island Grove, Lochloosa, Hawthorne, Rochelle, Micanopy, McIntosh and Orange Lake while largely following the former route of the Florida Southern Railway.
The journey begins in Reddick, a small community historically tied to the lumber, agricultural and railroad industries. The area prospered after the arrival of the Florida Southern Railway during the 1880s and today remains surrounded by vast horse farms and equestrian training facilities, one of the principal industries of this section of Marion County. Reddick also served as a filming location for the movie Jeepers Creepers during the year 2000.
The route continues south along former railroad corridors and crosses rural communities such as Lowell, Martin and Kendrick before reaching Zuber. In this region the landscape has been heavily transformed by decades of phosphate mining. Many former mining pits were later restored as parks and artificial lakes surrounded by replanted forests, while other operations remain active today.
Farther ahead the ride reaches Anthony and Sparr, communities that emerged directly around railroad lines during the 1880s. The area remains dominated by large rural parcels, pine forests and agricultural land. The route later arrives in Citra, whose name reflects the historical importance of the citrus industry in the region. Nearby lived author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, whose writings became deeply associated with the rural landscapes of north central Florida.
After crossing the Orange Creek Restoration Area, the route enters Alachua County, a region with an especially complex Indigenous and colonial history. The area was once inhabited by the Potano, a Timucua people associated with the Alachua culture. Hernando de Soto crossed this territory in 1539, and Spanish missionaries later established Franciscan missions and large cattle ranches around Orange Lake and Paynes Prairie.
The ride continues toward Island Grove and Lochloosa, small communities established along the Florida Southern Railway and surrounded by lakes, wetlands and protected areas such as Lochloosa Wildlife Management Area and Grove Park Wildlife Management Area. Farther ahead appears Hawthorne, one of the region’s principal historic railroad junctions during the late nineteenth century. The town once contained hotels, banks, telegraph service, ice plants and numerous railroad-related facilities.
From Hawthorne the route follows part of the Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail, constructed along abandoned railroad corridors. The trail crosses vanished settlements such as Constine’s Mill and Grove Park before reaching Rochelle, a historic community associated with Confederate governor Madison Starke Perry and large nineteenth century plantations.
The journey then continues through Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, one of Florida’s most historically and environmentally significant landscapes. This vast prairie was once home to Timucua settlements and later Seminole communities such as Cuscowilla and Paynes Town. During the Seminole Wars several military forts were established here, while later drainage projects dramatically altered the ecosystem before restoration efforts began during the 1970s.
Farther ahead the route reaches Micanopy, one of Florida’s best preserved historic towns. Founded in 1821 and later renamed in honor of the Seminole leader Micanopy, the area became the site of some of the fiercest battles of the Seminole Wars. The downtown district still preserves numerous historic buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The final section crosses Evington, McIntosh, Orange Lake, Irvine, Flemington and Fairfield, small rural communities deeply tied to the former railroad and agricultural systems of north central Florida. Eventually the route returns toward Reddick through landscapes of lakes, forests, ranchland and old railroad corridors that still preserve much of the traditional atmosphere of inland Florida.
