A resident of Los Angeles, CA, Eloah Rocha draws upon 15 years of experience working with children in her role as a counselor at the Los Angeles Children's Hospital. When her work schedule allows it, Eloah Rocha enjoys visiting Florida to explore its many nature parks.

1. FLORIDA'S
PAYNES PRAIRIE
PRESERVE STATE
PARK
Eloah Rocha

2. INTRODUCTION
A resident of Los Angeles, CA, Eloah Rocha draws upon
15 years of experience working with children in her role
as a counselor at the Los Angeles Children's Hospital.
When her work schedule allows it, Eloah Rocha enjoys
visiting Florida to explore its many nature parks.
Although it is in Florida, the Paynes Prairie Preserve State
Park has a distinct West Coast vibe as it features several
bison and wild horses freely roaming across 16,000
acres of land. While Florida is more well-known for
wildlife like turtles and alligators, the park's wealth of
horses races its history back to the 1920s when it was a
Spanish Cattle Ranch.

3. PAYNES PRAIRIE
It became Florida's first state preserve in the late 1970s,
at which time 50 Spanish wild cracker horses were
introduced to the land in recognition of the park's
history.
Beyond opportunities to view wildlife that aren't native to
Florida, the Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park boasts a
variety of trails that offer differing views of Florida's
landscape from wildflower fields and pine trails to
picturesque bodies of water. The park is located in
Micanopy and is open year-round from 8 a.m. until
sundown. Admission is $6 per vehicle and $2 for those
riding a bicycle. Guests can also take advantage of its
full-facility camping for $18 per night.