Gator Creek Loop

The Gator Creek Loop extends 0.8 mile to the north of the Piney Wood Loop, providing a way to visit the namesake of this preserve. The footpath becomes a causeway with cypress swamp on both sides, the dark waters murky with duckweed. When you reach the creek, it’s not at all what you expect—it’s a narrow duckweed-choked slough carved into the woods, built many years ago to drain the pine flatwoods so cattle could graze the forest, eliminating the original natural flow of what was Gator Creek. The trail now continues beyond the creek to form a loop through the pine flatwoods, and returns to this point. Backtrack to the Piney Wood Loop.