Stroll the Louisiana Swamps - Visit the Barataria Preserve Now!

New Orleans, Louisiana is so rich in culture and on everyone’s travel bucket list. But, don’t stop within the city limits. Venture down south to the swamp trails in Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. Stroll the Louisiana Swamps and Visit the Barataria Preserve Now! Walk the trails through the same swamps pirates use to operate in or take a swamp tour and maybe you’ll see an alligator or two.

But first, a little history.

Established in 1907, Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve is located only 20 miles South of New Orleans, Louisiana. This national park was named after Jean Lafitte, a French Pirate in the early 1800s who operated in the Gulf of Mexico. Jean Lafitte has an interesting history. He and his brother operated a warehouse in New Orleans to distribute smuggled goods. Due to the Embargo Act of 1807 they moved their operations to Barataria Bay. Eventually most of his fleet was captured by the U.S. Naval force.

Then, a few years later in return for a legal pardon to help General Andrew Jackson. With his knowledge of the swamps, Lafitte helped defend New Orleans during the Battle of New Orleans. The brothers then became spies for the Spanish during the Mexican War of Independence and Jean founded Galveston in Texas. Jean Lafitte is rumored to have buried treasure at many locations. If you head down to New Orleans, you may also find a few more locations that have been named after Jean Lafitte.

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Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve consists of 6 separate sites, one of those being the Barataria Preserve. The Barataria Preserve shows visitors what it’s like outside the city. Consisting of 26,000 acres you are bound to spot alligators, snakes, or spiders throughout the plentiful bayous, swamps, marshes, and forests.

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Explore Barataria Preserve through its walking and hiking trails.

Barataria Preserve consists of 5 walking trails, Bayou Coquille, Marsh Overlook, Visitor Center, Palmetto, and Ring Levee, and 4 hiking trails, Wood Duck, Plantation, Old Barataria, and Twin Canals.

Travel Tip: When driving to Barataria Preserve, the map locations can be a bit confusing. Do not simply type in Barataria Preserve because it will not take you to the right location. Make sure you type Barataria Preserve Visitor Center. This will bring you straight to the visitor center to get a map, find more information, bathrooms, and water fountains – the perfect place to start!

Watch now!

Check out my YouTube video: Barataria Preserve – New Orleans, Louisiana for a visual of my day walking the trails, but keep reading below to learn about each trail!

Barataria Preserve Walking Trails

Take a stroll through the easily accessible walking trails of Barataria Preserve. All walking trails are either boardwalk or gravel covered making most of them accessible for wheelchairs or strollers and less than 1 mile (one way).

As mentioned above there are 5 walking trails: Bayou Coquille Trail, Marsh Overlook Trail, Visitor Center Trail, Palmetto Trail, and Ring Levee Trail. All of the trails are accessible from each other except for the Ring Levee Trail.

Firstly, I suggest starting at the Visitor Center and beginning on the Visitor Center Trail. Honestly, just within this trail, the shortest trail, I think it has the prettiest views. The whole trail is a boardwalk that passes under a grove of bald cypress trees. This trail is only 0.25 miles (one way), but you won’t be walking the full length because around 3/4ths down this trail you’ll take a right onto Palmetto Trail.

Next, the Palmetto Trail is another beautiful boardwalk trail. It is 0.9 miles long (one way) and you can either start along the Visitor Center trail or from the opposite end in the Bayou Coquille trail parking lot. This one is the longest of all of the walking trails, but has beautiful views and where I saw all of my alligator sightings.

Once you reach the end of the Palmetto Trail, assuming you started from the Visitor Center Trail like I suggested, you’ll end up in the Bayou Coquille Trail parking lot. From here you can cross the parking lot and be at the entrance of Bayou Coquille Trail. This trail is 0.5 miles (one way) and consists of both boardwalk and gravel. The Bayou Coquille Trail offers a cell phone tour detailing stops along the way. Don’t miss the “Monarch of the Swamp” , a 600 year old bald cypress tree.

At the end of the Bayou Coquille Trail is where the Marsh Overlook Trail starts. Walk along the Kenta Canal that was dug for drainage, irrigation, and access for loggers. This trail is 0.4 miles one way with boardwalk (sometimes a little narrow), stairs, and bridges. A cell phone tour is also available for this trail. Towards the end of this trial you have a distanced view of downtown New Orleans and a panoramic view of the marsh.

Lastly is the Ring Levee Trail. This 0.6 mile trail is not near the other walking trails, but closer to the hiking trails.

Now remember, all of these trails are one way which means whatever way you walked, you’ll have to go all the way back to where you came from. If you do the suggested path I did that means you’ll be walking around 4 miles total. Bring plenty of water for yourself, take your time, and make sure you are prepared for Louisiana heat.

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Barataria Preserve Hiking Trails

Besides the 5 walking trails previously mentioned, Barataria Preserve additionally has 4 hiking trails: Wood Duck Trail, Plantation Trail, Old Barataria Trail, and Twin Canals Trail. Unlike the walking trails, the hiking trails aren’t as well pathed, they are a mix of dirt and gravel paths which can be affected during rainy periods so be sure to do your weather research ahead of time.

Three out of four of the hiking trails are near each other, including the Ring Levee walking trail. The fourth trail, Twin Canals Trail, is not near the others. Majority of the hiking trails start near the Environmental Education Complex.

First the Wood Duck Trail which is the shortest trail at only 0.4 miles (one way). This trail will take you through a hardwood forest.

Next is the Plantation Trail. Plantation Trail is the only trail that consists of two different loops: Loop A 1.8 miles and Loop B 1.4 miles, both round trip. This trail earned its name due to the fact that you’ll see remnants of irrigation ditches from plantation and farming days as well as giant live oaks.

Old Barataria Trail is another loop trail at 1.4 miles round trip. This trail is one to be weary about when it comes to weather. Old irrigation ditches cross the trail which may contain water during rainy weather which is nearly all the time in Louisiana.

Last but not least is the Twin Canals Trail which is down the road from the rest of the hiking trails. You’ll walk through hardwood forest with a small footbridge with views onto the canals. This trail is only 0.6 miles (one way).

Walking the trails through Barataria Preserve is undoubtedly a perfect day trip from New Orleans. A trip to get out of the city and experience the bayou culture that surrounds. If you are like me and from the New Orleans area, it’s the perfect opportunity to be a tourist in your own town. Would you put a day trip to the Barataria Preserve on your New Orleans itinerary? Leave it in the comments below!