Lafitte Barataria preserve

Fantastic landscape– must see to appreciate the mystery surrounding the bayou. Huge bald cypress trees. Saw alligator snakes many spiders. Wear hat and bring plenty of h20. Hiking shoes recommended fir yep trails. At the visitors center the First trail features a nice accessible boardwalk for easy walk especially for elders.
Easy drive from downtown
Check out their website to find the visitors entrance. GPSay not find this park without entering address as shown on their site.

Hailing from Australia, I’ve had plenty of chances to put shoe to dirt and wander around surrounded by nature. This walk was magical. I don’t know whether we simply got lucky but I’ve never encountered such an abundance of wildlife on one walk.
The swamp and marsh were beautiful. For much of our first walk we were on a raised pedestrian platform. For the later walk, it was a dirt path.
Along the way on our two hour walk we saw raccoons, gators, snakes, hundreds of lizards, frogs, dragon flies, birds of all kinds, and a family of four armadillos.
Incredible.

This is the best place for DYI swamp tour. Boardwalks take you through the water and the ever changing fauna. We saw so many snakes, a bunny, lizards, birds… Is good for a rainy day too, just bring a jacket. Lots of good history to read in the ranger’s station as well. We brought a picnic to eat on one of the many benches.

Quite unbelivebale what driving out for 25 minutes or so from the city can do. Leads you to a national park named after a famous pirate. Gorgeous swamp and marsh land with reeds, palmettos, spanish moss, bald cypress and oak trees. Happy birds, lizards, and the like. Didn’t get to see any nutria or alligators, which is fine. Just gorgeous. The walk on the side of the visitors center has wooden planks that are fit for easy walking, across the highway if it just recently rained, is muddy. Few more trails I would have liked to hike, I guess next time. No mosquitoes this time of year which is great, since I am def a mosquito magnet, or repellent for whomever is with me! The ranger was super-​informative too.