The Mississippi River trail is what locals call "The Levee". Much of my family is from the River…read moreParishes so I grew up walking on, skating on and just hanging out up on the levee-- as it is directly across the street from my family members homes. Looking at the river and seeing wildlife. Depending on how high the river is cresting you may see more wildlife. The coolest thing about this trail is that over the years it's been improved with a paved roadway which makes it great for cycling long distances along the river. I live uptown and though I haven't braved the entirety of the trail, if I found the energy, I could ride my bike from uptown to Destrehan to go visit my grandma's house...about 20 miles one way. One of these days I'll get it together and take the ride. The Levee is the barrier between the River and the towns on the other side...it's flood protection and also a recreational space. We love a multifunctional system.

Safe off street route for long rides, but can get monotonous, and the headwinds/crosswinds can be…read morechallenging. Reasonably well-maintained, but a few pretty rough spots, especially where driveways cross the trail. Overall, not bad, and I wish we more off street options.

When it comes to cycling in Nola this half of the River Trail is my favorite. "The Mississippi…read moreRiver Trail-St.Rose", to me means from Rivertown al the way to the Valero/Motiva refinery. This is I believe a 12 mile stretch. This stretch is great for those who really want to do some serious cycling. There are less people than the strech that starts at the Fly. You are less likely to run into walkers, roller bladers, and jackholes who take up the whole path while walking and refusing to move. I'm no Lance Armstrong (I am slightly heavier and have both testicles) but I always have my fastest rides here. There is also some good scenery along the way. There are several great views of the river along this stretch. You will see various tugboats, barges, and crude oil tankers float by as you pedal away. There is also the Destrahan plantation about 8 miles after leaving Rivertown, followed by the Luling Bridge and the monsterous house that Jesse Duplantis built from his televangilism. I'm sure Jesus wants him to live there. If you get thirsty along the way, the St. Rose Tavern is a great place to hydrate. Overall a pretty smooth ride with only a few bumpy spots along the way. So put on your spandex and pedal on over the St Charles parish.

During our cross country road trip in the summer of 2022, we traveled with the truck and trailer…read morefrom Los Angeles to Key West and back. My wife booked a few nights in Tickfaw state park, sight unseen, to be more or less in the vicinity of New Orleans, a plantation tour, and a swamp boat tour that we had booked months in advance. As it turned out, we actually enjoyed this state park stay more than our visit to New Orleans! The state park entrance is actually at the back of a neighborhood of sorts, on a narrow two-lane road that cuts away from the highway at a weird angle. Once inside the park proper, visitors are treated to beautiful swamps, complete with cypress trees, Spanish moss, and all the critters you would expect to find here. The campground we enjoyed had full hook ups, a small wooden deck, and a long back-in pad for our trailer. There was also a resident raccoon who kept us honest about locking things up at night, and securing coolers and food. Tickfaw state park features long boardwalks with railings, that afford visitors beautiful hikes in different parts of the park through different kinds of trees and plants. Unfortunately, many of these were still damaged in the summer of 2022 from the previous year's Hurricane Ida that blew through southern Louisiana and surrounding areas. The only trail that was not affected by this was the one without a boardwalk, so we enjoyed a hike through beautiful pines that went down to the river. Despite most of the trails being closed and damaged, we still enjoyed ourselves here, and had a good time. In the evening, I enjoyed casting topwater lures in on the cypress knees and trees, and caught & released several big bowfin... A fish that is sort of a cross between a catfish a bass, and a pit bull I suppose. I'm not sure when we will be back through this part of the world, but Tickfaw State Park is definitely a place that I would stay again: off the beaten path but close enough to where you want to be, peaceful and quiet, and the kind of southern serene that helps a SoCal guy like me to slow down and enjoy life a little bit.

$3 per person at the gate gets you in. The park has a lot of trails, camp sites, kayaking and…read moreplenty of things to do. The nature center has a lot to read about the area and the things you will see in the area. The guy working was friendly, very informative. Everything seemed well organized.

Great boardwalk trail over the marsh. It's a good way to see wildlife on the northshore on an easy…read morehike.

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of…read morelife, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived" ― Henry David Thoreau, Walden I have always felt like Thoreau knew what he was talking about when he wrote that. It's been some time since I've gone to live in the woods, but I do think one can accomplish a lot by taking a walk alone into the wilderness. The boardwalk in this section of the Big Branch Refuge is a great place to take such a walk. Located in between Slidell and Lacombe, this section of the national refuge is somewhat different than the other two areas. This spot in particular is a half mile boardwalk trail that runs from the pine forest to the swamp. The trail lets you see first hand how the forest has subsided over the years and become swamp. The remnants of dead pine trees that could no longer survive the excessive moisture dot the landscape. As the trail continues, you will end a large expanse of swamp and an incredible view. There is also more trails to hike, but on my most recent visit I was running out of daylight. This trail is popular, but I have found that more times than not, you will be the only hiker. On my most recent trip I encountered several groups on my hike back, but only one group was irritating enough that I wanted to push them into the swamp. When people are hiking and enjoying nature, hooping and hollering is not enjoyable to others. My hike though the wilderness was very enjoyable. For the first part of the hike all that could be heard was the wind and the birds. If you need to think, want to take photos, or just enjoy a walk through the woods, check this trail out.

Nice little Park off the highway and easy to miss., turn around at next exit (we did)…read more Entrance near an industrial area, lots of trucks in and out. Nice parking area along the water, with some picnic tables. An information board located near entrance. Some people were just parked (maybe enjoying the view), a Ranger did drive thru. So the area is monitored. A decent trail with a nice boardwalk takes you into the refuge with views of the marsh and water. We were here mid-day so it was quiet. Some birds, and lots of turtles. On way out, net Blair (local birder) and we talked about sightings in area. He told me about a Kingfisher that hangs out over waterway off main road. The Kingfisher was right where he said it would be - we did not stop (lots of trucks) passing by. Nice to talk to locals, especially fellow bird enthusiasts. Worth a stop !!!

Is the hustle and bustle of city life getting you down?…read more Do you find yourself becoming stressed from traffic? Do you need a break? If you answered yes to the above questions, I have just the thing to cure what ails you. What is this miraculous cure you ask? Dirt. That's right friends, good ole 100% American dirt. Get you some. I realize that the words posted above these may seem ridiculous, and for some it won't help, but for me, getting off the road and into nature helps me every time. The Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge is one such place that I recommend you check out. This NWR is located off of the very last exit before Mississippi (Pearl River Turnaround). If you're heading from Louisiana, exit, turn left and drive down the first dirt road you encounter. There isn't really a very good sign, but you'll know it when you find it. As you first enter the NWR you will encounter a very cool railroad bridge. For many, this will be the coolest thing you see, but for me there is much more. The roads through the NWR are dirt and rock only. They are fairly well packed so four wheel drive is not necessary, but I would be reluctant to take a car back here if it is low slung. The roads run for many miles through the middle of the refuge and you are unlikely to encounter any other humans if you go during the week. If hiking is your thing, there are a few trails that I have yet to explore, but they do look promising for a brief nature hike. Each trail has its own parking area which is convenient since parking on the road wouldn't be ideal. The roads here seem to go on forever. I would guess that it took me nearly thirty minutes to drive the entirety of the main road. It ended up at a weird camp type residential area, finally dead ending at a very run down looking trailer. I haven't fully explored all of the roads yet, but it does seem to be a one way in, one way out situation. The hour or so I spent on my first trip invigorated me and I can't wait to go back.

We stayed a week at the POW campsite. The trails were great. We'll marked and easy. The pons is…read morebeautiful with a beaver dam raising the level a little. I would recommend this site for a short boondocks stay. Now the drawbacks. No water , no dumpsite. No picnic tables or fire rings. My wife and I spent one day just picking up the garbage and the remains of homeless tents and garbage. Busy with hunters and campers.

Years ago someone started the trend of the milestone review. Every 100 reviews, you're supposed to…read morereview something special. For my 1400th, I've chosen somewhere that was very special to me as a kid, but remains special as an adult. This review will be a little long winded so if that scares you off, go ahead and stop reading now. Back when I was a teenager my scout troop came here because it was the starting point of our backpacking trip on the Tuxachanie Trail. I was pretty much uninterested in history then, but when I learned the area once housed a WWII POW Camp, I was fascinated. Not much was left of the camp back then. It was just a few concrete bunkers that my juvenile mind thought were the remains of prison cells. It wasn't until much later that I realized they were the remains of ammo bunkers. My friends and I ran around like maniacs and climbed all over that bunkers. Had we known what was in store, we would have chosen to rest instead. The Tuxachanie Trail is 22 miles one way if you hike the whole thing. Most people start at the opposite end, but we started here as it is 13 miles to the nearest camping area. While on the trail we saw snakes, birds, trees, wildflowers and a whole lot of woodland scenery. I packed smart, but most of my friends did not. Those packs began to get mighty heavy around mile five. The memories of that hike are much more vivid, and in some cases funny, but for brevity sake, I will explain why it's still special today, and why I think you should visit this area. Despite the ominous sounding name, there really isn't much that would make you know this was once a POW camp for German soldiers. The aforementioned bunkers are still there, but now that I know what they were for, it isn't as frightening as when I thought they were prison cells. The area near the bunkers is a giant space that's been cleared of trees. Next to that area is a large and beautiful lake filled with water lilies, bullfrogs and small fish. The view from the shore was quite beautiful in particular the reflection of the surrounding forest and sky on the surface of the lake. The juxtaposition of the perfectly still water and the ever changing clouds was truly magnificent. Had it not been so sweltering hot, I could have stood there for hours. So for most people, this is where the review would end. But as you may have learned from my previous reviews, I am not most people. I noticed it as soon as I started driving away from the lake. There it was just calling to me. A good ole American dirt road and I just had to explore it. The road from the POW Camp is not for the faint of heart (car drivers). While it is mainly gravel and suitable for 2WD vehicles, it was rutted in some areas so higher clearance would help. The drive through the woods was peaceful and fairly uneventful. But the little trail I found off of the dirt road led me to paradise. I took that trail not knowing where it led or what was in store for me. It was blocked by a fallen tree, but it was no match for my well-equipped, yet stylish vehicle. I just put it in 4WD and climbed right over that thing. Hell Yeah! Enough of that badassery and back to the reason I mentioned the trail. The trail ended up leading to a different area of the lake that I had not seen before. This area was even more beautiful as it was filled with lilies as far as the eye could see. This is the area where I felt the most at peace. I felt fulfilled. I realize that will probably sound too touchy feely especially after I just mentioned the badassery of driving over a tree, but I am never happier than when I am out in the wilderness. Maybe it's all the time I spent in the woods as a kid. Maybe it's the fact that the woods let the hustle and bustle of everyday life seem like just a distant memory. Maybe it's something else. All I know is that being surrounded by trees is an experience every red blooded American should have, and one they should have regularly. Did I lose you? If not, thanks for reading.