Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge

Born on the bayou...

This could a bit biased, I'm from NY and there are no bayous.

The wooden plank trail is in very good shape, noticed more trail has yet to be completed. It's a ridge trail boardwalk is about 1/2 a mile long. I wish I was able to explore more of the 25,000 acres as boating, fishing, crabbing/craw-fishing and bird watching opportunities. Plenty of parking and clean restrooms.

Unfortunately, did not see any gators. Will be back!

BEWARE!! It's probably only a good idea to go to this spot if you have a car. This trail is really far from city center. My husband and I took an Uber from the city with not enough time before sunset. When we got there we realized it would be hard to get an Uber back, so we decided to just have the guy turn around because we were afraid we may get stranded out here. It looked beautiful, but I would just caution those who don't have a car.

A trip to New Orleans... You must experience the bayou. There are plenty of parking. I highly recommend going in the morning especially when the weather is warm.

Bring bug spray. If you are like me, bugs love me!

Came here September 2018. It was warm. It was closer to 11am. We had hats. We also had umbrellas.

There is trail. A lovely board walk that is well kept. It is very accessible for all ages and all abilities. Wheelchairs accessible is a plus in my book!

Lots of huge dragon flies and big butterflies here. Some bugs we couldnt see but we sure can HEAR THEM!!!!

Didn't see a gator. We were looking though!

Check this trail out! It's nice!

We ended up driving through here on our last day on our Louisiana vacation. This is a very beautiful area full of Cajun stilt houses and beautiful landscaping/waterscape. I can only imagine this place being a fisherman's dream. There are lots to see and do as far as outdoor activities. However, we were just passing through to get into the city for the airport from Slidell. We started across Lake Ponchartrain on highway 90.

Just outside the limits of this bayou several miles before you ramp onto Highway 10, there are many Vietnamese restaurants and businesses available to my surprise. I was informed that they were a new population inrush post Hurricane Katrina. While on the topic of Hurricane Katrina, we spotted an entirely abandoned, graffitied and half-burnt apartment complex still remaining as a result of the damage from hurricane Katrina. This was only a very small portion of this area though.

Anyway, up until that point it has been a beautiful and scenic driving experience through this area. It was our alternate to taking the less scenic Highway route to the airport from Slidell.

A beautiful place for a hike, trail running and simply to sit back and meditate. During my trial runs, I see all types of beautiful scenery and hundreds of examples of Louisiana wildlife.
It's nice to know that when you want to get out of the city, this beautiful place is just outside the city limits.

Went here two times to the ridge trail.The first time was a Saturday which was packed so i just took a look. The second was a Monday I came and saw few cars.I went straight in and went straight instead of going right after you come in.After taking a long hike along the path it was very quiet knowing it was just mostly me and the birds trees and maybe few alligators lurking.i stopped and came back due to sweating in the 75 degrees of high humidity

It's a must stop in NO! There are several parking lots spread out over the course of miles that lets you take in this area's unique beauty. Fun fact, it's America's largest wildlife refuge.

This place is roughly 30 minutes out of NOLA just before the bridge to Slidell. Easy enough to find. There is a half mile wooden plank trail with numerous signs with information about the animals and plants of the area. There is also a long path along a gravel path next to the levee. Most of the wild life that I saw was birds. No insects or reptiles because this was between Xmas and New Years.

If you're looking for a break from the "big city" life of New Orleans, but don't want to drive too far, check out Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge. This area is the largest urban National Wildlife refuge in the United States and sadly, it is becoming one of the last remaining marshes in these parts.

Although there are no longer any swamp tours, there are still plenty of things to do! On our day out we hiked the short Ridge Trail and took in beautiful views (as well as a gator sighting!), but also spotted many fishermen (and women), couples with canoes, and bird watchers. It's a wonderful place for peace of mind or a piece of pie with you picnic (please bring a trash bag, there were no trash cans in any of the areas we visited and don't litter!)

It was slightly sad to see the effect that Hurricane Katrina had on the bayou, but with the help of local organizations and relief efforts, this wonderful place will be back in no time.

Great stop to walk around the bayou. Well kept grounds, clean bathrooms, and plenty of free parking.