Helen C.

Situated just 25min car ride from French District is a wonderful marshy haven to help you unwind from the bustling city. There were many wildlife of interest along the boardwalk to keep people all ages entertained. To get to it, map the visitor center and not Barataria Preserve. There is a short boardwalk trail right at the nature center and also few others just up and down the road from the visitor center. It's also a National Park so don't forget to purchase your national parks passport and get your first cancellation stamp!

Brad C.

Just a short drive south of the hustle and bustle (and crowds) of New Orleans, this place allows you to travel much further back in time with just a short walk away from the parking lot. We started at the Visitors Center, where the staff are extremely friendly and knowledgeable about the park, surrounding area, and history. They also made certain we had plenty of water with us. The hiking trails are not long and are well marked, but with the heat of the summer and high humidity, sweating and drinking are two activities you have little choice but to participate in. In the Center, there is also a small history display that provides good information for anyone interested in knowing more about how the area has changed over the years, details on the Mississippi river delta landscape, and other pertinent goodies fun to learn. The trails are all flat, and well-maintained dirt or boardwalk, so you don't need any special hiking shoes or equipment. They aren't long either, but they still take you far enough away from the parking lot to make you feel you've stepped away from civilization; and far enough that if you didn't follow the recommendation to bring water, you will regret not doing so. The Marsh Overlook trail we walked was only a mile or so round trip, but it traveled through three different ecosystems; hardwood forest, cypress swamp, and open marshland. A few very interesting old-growth trees, lots of Spanish moss, aquatic plants, various flowers and other fun plants. I love the cypress "knees" that surround those particular trees too. We arrived fairly early (9ish) in the morning on a Wednesday and didn't see any other adventurers on the way out. Because of this, the wildlife was still very visible and very active. We shared the area with a few skittish but very large deer (not sure what kind), squirrels, birds, frogs, turtles, several very large spiders, and yes, a few alligators. As long as you remain on the trails, none of these will bother you. On our return trip, the trails were much more active with other people and we didn't see any of the wildlife visible on the way out. We wandered through in mid-June and while we were fortunate that the temps were unusually cool, the humidity was still high. Bugs are present and flying, so bring bug spray. The flies can be a nuisance. Overall a highly recommended trek if you are in the area. Bring clothes you can sweat in, comfortable walking shoes, bug spray, and plenty of water to drink, of course a camera of some sort, and have a good time!

Diana F.

We loved this place! There was tons of wildlife! Alligators, lizards, butterflies, birds, and snakes! It had all the stuff we came to see and more! My one issue was that people were sooo noisy and it was a bit crowded. But a good place will draw that sort of attention so can't blame the preserve for that! We will be back to see more nature in action!

Lyle S.

I love this place. Great for hiking and fishing or just to get away for a while. Located close to the city, it's an easy place to get to for a visit.

David G.

The hiking trails here are phenomenal. We spent a beautiful couple hours here walking along the Bayou Coquille Trail and Marsh Overlook Trail. They are both super easy hikes. It's about a mile in and then a mile back. To be fair, it was early April. Temps were around 80 degrees. Insects were pretty much absent and humidity was low. It was about as perfect as it gets. It is just such a peaceful place to take a nice stroll. It's a little peace of heaven. And on this day, anyway, we saw a lot of animals. Snakes, rabbits, lizards, turtles, and a bunch of gators. One was sunning right up against the elevated walkway. It was awesome! The National Park Service does such a great job. Honestly, we saw more wildlife and were closer to the animals on this short hiking trail than we did on the expensive swamp tour just a few miles down the road. Here, you get an incredible experience at a price that can't be beaten!

Margie A.

This is what I imagined hiking in southern Louisiana and in bayou-country would look like and the preserve more than met my expectations. Start off at the visitor center to get the latest info on alligator sightings. There's a trail right by the visitor center that had an alligator chillin that we got pretty close to. We then went on the Bayou Coquille Trail. Y'all got some hella large bugs down here (winter keeps them small up north) but the crazy-looking crickets & spiders made it exciting. Highlight was when we were about to cross a bridge on a trail and a male deer was standing on the other side. It started pawing the ground and my partner seemed to deer-whisperer with it. We moved to the side and the deer walked on the trail right by us! Look how close we got in the photos. It was pretty humid in mid-September but didn't see anyone else so felt like we had the place to ourselves. I tried the audio tour at a couple of the signs they have up and I recommend u try it out. Overall, we had so many close encounters with the local wildlife here! It made stopping here after going on a swamp tour nearby totally worth it. I only wished we had more time to explore the trails.

Morganne J.

We're not too far down the road and visit the trails often. This past weekend we were able to take our new canoe out on the twin canals. Wow, so beautiful and such a fun adventure. We must have ended up in an alligator nursery bc we saw so many juvenile gators, it was amazing. Highly recommend. March/April is a great time to visit before it becomes too hot.

Jen L.

After a trip last year was cancelled by a deluge, I've been wanting to come back to the preserve and today seemed like the perfect day to finally get back. The weather was gorgeous and with great friends, I couldn't have asked for a better morning. Because of all the recent rains, we stuck to the boardwalk/gravel paths of the visitor's center, palmetto, bayou coquille & marsh overlook trails which all feed into each other. We probably walked about 4 miles there and back. We saw alligators, snakes, bugs galore, an owl, a swamp bunny, and a toddler almost get bit by a snake since he crouched down to look closely at it as it reared back to strike. Seriously parents what are you thinking. The irises are just start to bloom so you have another couple of weeks to see them in their full glory. The smell of all the honeysuckle was intoxicating. Plus I noticed a ton of blackberry vines so in a few weeks you might be able to have a snack while you wander around. Funniest thing was the clearly out of town folks who were fascinated by the little lizards that run all over my front porch and that's what they were sitting on a bench watching them run around. Oh and the girl who's swamp attire included fishnets, high heel boots and a mini-skirt. Other funny thing, we ran into my uncle, the park ranger, while out there. He LOVES his retirement job. I'll repeat that it's amazing to be out here and you're only 30 minutes away from the city. No power lines in sight, outside and you can just breathe the swampy air...which is home to me but may be cloying to others. Oh and brother 4 says that the twin canal trail (separate parking lot) is a good place to go fishing. And the highest of the non-boardwalked trails. Also as a National Park, it's free.

Mo B.

So glad we booked this swamp tour excursion... got up close and personal with about 5 alligators... and even got to hold a baby gator. Our tour guide, captain John, was very knowledgeable. So much fun!

Matthew C.

We returned once again, trying our hand at the other side of the swamp. The Barataria Preserve is different than the one near the Jean Lafitte Visitor's Center. I'd say the Visitor's Center offers a more "viewy" hike, if that makes sense. There's more differentiation in what's viewable. The Barataria is essentially one big, long well-built, narrow boardwalk intimately positioned directly inside the swamp - close quarters, if you will. The Visitor's Center has more space, more of a viewing angle, and bridges and stairs and ups and downs and a 300 year old cyprus tree! In the Barataria Preserve we did locate some wild boar tracks, so that was scary. The foliage particularly is just wonderful throughout the Barataria Preserve, so many fans of green and yellow. The swamp snails shells are ubiquitous, and I'm sure there were alligators somewhere - but we didn't see any. Bring water, and wear boots if you brought 'em, because it can get swampy in a swamp. The stretches of path are long and beautiful, providing for wonderful picture opportunities. Wear bug spray FOR SURE, stay on the path, and outta the mud. We got stuck and had to make our way through a bit of mud, and trust me, it's wetter than you think, and will prove to go on and on and on, getting wetter and wetter, and more unmanageable with each new step. To think, people lived here for a time, that life must have been magically frightening all the time - I think the word for magically frightening is sublime. Be sure to read the signs! You'll learn so much about history, and where to not die. As always, be sure to pack out what you pack in - and in this instance, don't even leave foot prints; it's a protected area. Take the advice of the rangers, they're awesome. Happy plodding!

A beautiful, natural trail to view the wildness of southeast Louisiana. I absolutely love how I feel on these walks. The sights, sounds, and smells of the bayou preserve are a treasure.

Darren H.

Had a blast. Nice hiking trail through a swamp. Easy hike on a raised wooden trail. I'd suggest it to anyone. God to see a baby alligator and lots of other wildlife. Perhaps one day I'll go back and do one of the other trails.

Jenn C.

This was always one of my favorite bicycle ride destinations when I lived in New Orleans - so I went there with a friend on my last trip. It had been raining a lot and unfortunately for us - the boardwalks were submerged and closed to the public. Otherwise - we would have enjoyed walking on the 1+ mi of boardwalks over the swamp, looking for alligators, turtles, water moccasins and other critters. It's a fantastic experience and I highly recommend it! Instead, we went down to Twin Canals and walked a little trail out to a small opening near enough water to make a whole mardi gras krewe of alligators happy and did not see any alligators. Did see water moccasins, garter snakes, fungus, birds and bunny rabbits.