While Florida is notoriously flat, Gainesville's topography features gently rolling terrain, a characteristic of the North Central Florida landscape. The elevation ranges from about 100 feet to slightly over 190 feet above sea level.
The karst terrain is the most prominent topographical feature, creating a landscape dotted with sinkholes (such as the massive Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park, a 120-foot deep, bowl-shaped cavity) and porous limestone aquifers. The southern edge of the city drops off into the expansive basin of Paynes Prairie, a natural sinkhole-drained basin that serves as a dramatic topographical contrast to the wooded, rolling hills of the city proper.