Lake Alto Preserve North Tract

Location and Hiking Trail Information with Maps and Images

Alachua County
Waldo, Florida
Entry Fee: None
Traffic: Light
Alachua County Official Page

PDF Map of Trail ^
Interactive Trail Map at AllTrails >

Lake Alto Preserve in Waldo provides great hiking with swamp and lake views.

Entrance

Locating Lake Alto Preserve Hiking Trails

Two preserve entrances (one a County Road 1471 and the other at Lake Alto Park) multiple trails (Treefrog Trail, Lake View Loop and Black Bear Loop) had me confused at first without a map.

Keep things simple and park at Lake Alto Park where there is ample paved parking and you can go down to the boat ramp for a nice view before and after your hike. A map to alternate parking is below.

What You’ll Find

Woods lie to the north and south of the parking lot. To the south, you will find a LEAFS (Longleaf and Ecology Forestry Society) Trail. To the north is your destination, Lake Alto Preserve clearly marked by a sign.

Trails

The first trail is Treefrog Trail with a very nice boardwalk leading over a swamp. I turned left onto Lake View Loop which leads to a small fishing pier at Lake Alto. Following the loop you can make your hike longer by taking Black Bear Loop, which returns you to Lake View, and then back to Treefrog Trail.

This series of loops leads you about four miles and I have it mapped below.

You will find great wildlife and scenery scenery along the way – I spotted deer and turkeys – with trails clearly marked.

The dock is very peaceful and beautiful, with a great view of the lake and lots of texture along the shoreline. I’m going to go ahead and say you can fish here also…I didn’t see any signs or authorities to state otherwise, so there you go.

Trail Images Below