Paynes Prairie Bolen Bluff

12-15-2023: This is a nice area with the possibility of seeing wild horses and Bison. Today, I was only fortunate enough to see three Bison, but they did not provide any good opportunities for photos. Even the turtle would not let me take any good photos. I do plan on returning and will update this review.

Bolen bluff trail is my favorite place. It is not wheelchair accessible though and even walking with a walker or cane it is a fall risk so please be careful. This time of year it is not flooded all the way to the observation deck but just a month ago it was. Some of the trail is in the shaded woods but about a half mile is wide open prairie and super hot ( but duh it’s florida in July)
We were able to see the bison and wild horses. I have an 800mm lens so I was nowhere near the animals. I must say I saw a few people trying to get too close for iPhone photos and these animals are wild so that was worrisome.
A wheelchair just won’t work though. Which is sad for those who need that accessibility .I just wanted to post that because when we first went I had a fractured shin and there was no way to get my chair even through the narrow pass through walkway to enter.

Now that I can walk…favorite place

Wonderful hiking! You can see wild cracker horses, wild Bison, and many other wildlife!

Always a pleasant and easy walk through a forest. Nice views and always good wildlife viewing. Easy to find. Parking is sometimes limited. Worth the trip. These guys surprised us and came out about 50' away. We could hear more coming so we backed away. Turned out to be 5 we could see but there were many more in the high prairie grasses.

Amazing place! We saw two deers and many bisons. The bison shown in the photo initially was very far from us, but it kept approaching the trail...we ran to the observation tower to keep ourselves safe😂. It stopped under the observation tower for a minute (no way to keep 100 feet here...) and walked away.

Great place for a short hike lots of open area and a small single story observation town over looks acres of prairie land where you might get lucky and spot bison, horse, hawks and other wildlife. Trails are nice but lots of roots so watch your step.

Always a joy to visit again and again! First time visiting as new birders. A couple lifers and a huge sedge of Sandhill Cranes circled above (loudly) before landing nearby!

We didn't see the bison or wild horses but still an interesting hike.

Nice evening walk. Only around 2.5 miles ( Part was flooded ). Parking available.

Nice place to visit got to see a couple of wild horses seems very warm for this time of year

Excellent trail! A short and relatively easy loop through a beautiful forest with lots of wildlife potential. If you wish to explore farther out on the prairie section of the trail, wear muck boots. It’s extremely muddy (the pull your shoes off kind!) when you head towards the observation platform. It’s debatable whether that portion is even accessible at the moment (Feb 2023). The trail itself offers ample shade, but the prairie is obviously wide open with no shade. This entrance is self-serve, so make sure you bring exact cash for park fee, which you’ll put in an envelope then dropbox. There are NO restroom facilities, just the great outdoors, so bring TP and a sealable bag for waste - please practice Leave No Trace principles.

A good place for an hour’s walk in shades. A couple of places are muddy at this moment.

Love this trail. Haven't been able to walk it in it's entirety due to progressively wet ground that turns to thick mud the farther you follow the trail down on the open prairie but definitely look forward to walking the whole trail if it ever dries up enough to continue on the path. Still have been able to capture some BEAUTIFUL pictures of wildlife (cranes, woodpeckers, horses, etc) and the landscape.

Nice place to walk in shade. Prairie still flooded, so can't get to observation tower. Usually able to sight deer and horses. $2.00 per carload to use trail. Definitely worth it! *UPDATE. Trail now open to observation tower. Last time out spotted Buffalo and horses!

Great hiking

Always tranquil

Worth every penny of the 2.00 to support this park. Beautiful trees and trails, make sure you walk down to the basin where it meets the swamp! Total round trip at its longest is 2.5 miles I believe.

Really beautiful and has a feeling of being untouched. It's a good spot to get out in nature in a relatively visually stimulating environment without running into too much foot traffic. $2.00 parking "honor"-fee.

This was a really awesome place. Beautiful trails and wildlife all over the place.. one of a kind sight seeing for this area. Truly a hidden Gem.. and a really great place to take pictures..!

Great trails and scenery.