A Beautiful Autumn Adventures in the Swamp
– Fun, One of a Kind, Inexpensive Family Vacation –
The Louisiana Wetlands
Ditch your pumpkin spice latte.
And experience the wilder side of this colorful season.
VACATION RENTAL HOMES, APARTMENTS AND CONDOS
A sinking state, rising seas, and eroded land
For years, scientists have known that the Mississippi River Delta, a region that includes most of south Louisiana and part of Mississippi, is sinking.
The region consists of a vast area of dams and levees that, when working, keep the Mississippi River from flooding into places it shouldn’t. Those same dams and levees also prevent the river from replenishing itself by dumping the sediment it’s naturally dumped into the delta for centuries.
This, combined with the oil and gas pumped out of the ground, is causing the area to subside into the Gulf of Mexico.
Why so swampy?
Louisiana’s wetlands comprise about 40% of the U.S.’s continental wetlands and include the largest contiguous wetland system in the lower 48 states.
The state’s wetlands include swamps and marshes. Swamps are areas that hold water and have woody vegetation. In many Louisiana swamps, Cypress (Taxodium spp.)
Where are the wetland you may ask?
The Louisiana Coastal Wetlands extend along 300 km of the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and reach as far as 130 km inland from the barrier islands to upland swamps.
Waterfront RV Parks & Campgrounds in Louisiana
WE ALWAYS RENT A CAMPER WHEN VISITING.
A FEW YEARS BACK WE WERE TOLD A STORY
“NOT SURE IF IT’S TRUE” ABOUT GATORS DRAGGING VISITORS OUT OF THEIR TENTS TO THE SWAMP WHILE THEY SLEPT.
HERE ARE SOME GREAT CAMPER RENTAL OPTIONS
CAMPER RENTALS
You Will Love It!
Where to Rent a Camper
Campgrounds
The Pontchartrain Landing campsite, located just outside of New Orleans on Seabrook Harbor, has fully equipped RV campsites. Amenities at the campsite include electric and water hookups, Wi-Fi access, cable TV, showers, a laundry center and a boat ramp.
Yellow Cotton Bayside in Boothville has fully equipped cedar cabins for rent. These cabins come furnished and have free cable television.
Louisiana’s wetlands have defined its natural character and rich culture. Over the centuries, Louisiana has lost significant portions of it wetlands due to farming, development, oil and gas exploration and hurricanes.
Public and private preserves are working to protect and restore Louisiana’s wetlands. Remaining wetlands continue to attract tourists for birdwatching, nature exploration, photography, hunting, fishing and environmental education.
BELOW YOU WILL FIND THE MOST POPULAR WETLAND AREAS EACH DESERVING A HATS OFF IN THEIR OWN SPECIAL WAY!
The Terrebonne Basin
The Terrebonne Basin contains nearly 730,000 acres of marsh and swamp, including nearly 200 square miles of cypress forests. Visitors to the area enjoy hunting, fishing and birdwatching.
Cajun Man’s Swamp Tours and Adventures leads boat tours through Terrebonne Basin at Bayou Black. Tours embark from Gibson, located a few miles from Houma, and take passengers through cypress swamps, where they can see alligators, red-tail hawks and blue herons.
During fall and winter, visitors can see migratory birds, including bald eagles, geese and ducks. Tours cost around $25 for adults and $15 for children ages 2-11.
Plaquemines Parish
Plaquemines Parish has more than 1,500 square miles of water, including swamps, marshes and lakes.
The parish lies at the southernmost point in the state and attracts hordes of anglers casting for freshwater and saltwater fish. Freshwater species include catfish, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill and sunfish.
April through June are the best months to fish in Plaquemines Parish.
HOTELS NEAR THE SWAMP
Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Area
Louisiana Lost Lands Environmental Tours conduct kayak tours through the Maurepas swamps.
Tours begin in New Orleans with a presentation about Louisiana’s threatened wetlands. Afterwards, passengers travel to Maurepas, where they paddle through the swamps for about 3-4 hours. Tours cost around $95-175 per person, depending on group size.
Atchafalaya Basin Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Area
The Atchafalaya Basin, America’s largest swamp, is located 30 miles northeast of Lafayette.
Each year, commercial fishers harvest more than 20 million pounds of crawfish from the area, which also is home to roseate spoonbills, alligators and water moccasins.
Atchafalaya Basin Landing and Marina in Henderson offers airboat tours of the swampland seven days per week. Tours cost around $50 for adults and $35 for kids five years of age and younger.
Jean Lafitte National Park and Preserve: Barataria Preserve
The Barataria Preserve, located 25 minutes south of New Orleans, encompasses 36 square miles of wetlands that are home to hundreds of bird species, wildflowers and alligators.
The park offers a cellphone tour, which guides visitors along trails and boardwalks.
Jean Lafitte Swamp Tours conducts pontoon boat tours of the preserve, which run just under two hours. Tours start at around $29 for adults and $12 for kids 3-12 years of age.
Pearl River Wildlife Area
Located just a few miles from Slidell, the Pearl River Wildlife Management Area is home to wild boars, turkeys, minks, bobcats, nutria and deer. The preserve covers more than 30,000 acres and is a nesting ground for golden and bald eagles.
The park allows fishing, boating and canoeing in its ponds, streams and bayous and has several boat ramps.
Dr. Wagner’s Honey Island Swamp Tours offers boat tours of the preserve for around $25 for adults and $15 for children.
Swamp & Bayou Tour w/ Transportation from New Orleans
Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge
Located just outside New Orleans, Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge is a habitat for hundreds of bird species.
The area sits behind levees designed to withstand hurricanes, which helps to protect the marshland and the animals that make their home in the refuge.
The refuge allows sport fishing, for species such as catfish, crappie, largemouth bass and bluegill.
White Lake Wetlands Conservations Area
White Lake Wetlands Conservations Area is located in Vermilion Parish, about one hour southwest of Lafayette. About 80 square miles of marshland occupy the preserve, which is home to a large population of black-crowned herons and other bird species.
The park also is home to a flock of the endangered whooping crane.
White Lake Wetlands is open year round and has a 2-mile trail that meanders through the bird sanctuary.
Biloxi State Wildlife Management Area
Situated between the Chandeleur Sound and Lake Borgne, the Biloxi State Wildlife Management Area is home to waterfowl, fish, crabs and shrimp.
The park lies 40 miles east of New Orleans on 36,000 acres of sloughs and bayous, covered with widgeon grass, black rush and salt grass.
The park is a popular spot for commercial and sport fishing, as well as hunting. Wildlife in the area include snipe, ducks, rabbits and deer, and the area’s waters are home to crabs, shrimp, flounder, redfish and speckled trout.
Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge
The Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge encompasses 57 acres of sloughs, lakes, swamps and bayous along the Louisiana-Mississippi state line. The topography of the park changes throughout the year, as the river floods and subsides with the seasons.
Bogue Chitto provides a habitat for an abundance of wildlife, including alligators, swallow-tailed kites, gopher tortoises and ringed-sawbacked turtles. The park is also home to the Gulf sturgeon, an imposing-looking fish that can grow up to nine feet long.
Sturgeon can live in fresh and salt water and are on the federal endangered species list. The park allows hunting and fishing, and has a limited number of areas designated for primitive camping.
SO MANY ACTIVITIES TO ENJOY IN SOUTH LOUISIANA’S WETLANDS
Alligator Hunting Guides
GUIDED VENTURES
Voyagers encounter indigenous critters such as alligators peering just above the waters and hundreds of species of birds, and hear colorful lore about pirates and other inhabitants of the vast, winding waterways.
One of the best ways to experience the intricate network of Louisiana’s scenic swamps is by hopping on a guided tour.
And the ways to get up close and personal with the wildlife are as varied as swamp life itself. Airboats, kayaks, tour boats accommodate sightseers’ desire to explore the swamp.
Embark on a paddle through our swamps, rivers and bayous with the team at New Orleans Kayak Swamp Tours.
You’re sure to see plenty of wildlife as you kayak among the moss-draped cypress trees during your exploration.
First time paddling? Don’t worry, most of the tours are beginner-level to ensure fun for the entire family.
Atchafalaya Basin Landing & Marina, located in Henderson, offers airboat trips at the gateway to the expansive Atchafalaya wilderness, America’s largest river swamp—perfect for photographers, birders or anyone wanting an unforgettable glimpse into swamp life.
Licensed captains who live on the water narrate these exhilarating swamp tours.
The 108-square-mile Honey Island Swamp, a wild and pristine river swamp, has breathtaking scenery and its flora and fauna include alligator, deer, turtles and sweet-smelling azaleas.
The people living in southern Louisiana must grapple with two kinds of natural disasters: the slow ones, such as coastal erosion, that chip away at the state over years, and the fast ones, such as hurricanes, that destroy homes and engulf chunks of land in a matter of hours.
THE BIG EASY – ON THE CHEAP!
FISHING IN THE SWAMP
The Terrebonne Basin
The Terrebonne Basin contains nearly 730,000 acres of marsh and swamp, including nearly 200 square miles of cypress forests. Visitors to the area enjoy hunting, fishing and birdwatching.
Plaquemines Parish
Plaquemines Parish has more than 1,500 square miles of water, including swamps, marshes and lakes.
The parish lies at the southernmost point in the state and attracts hordes of anglers casting for freshwater and saltwater fish. Freshwater species include catfish, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill and sunfish. April through June are the best months to fish in Plaquemines Parish.
Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Management Area
Located 25 miles west of New Orleans, the Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Management Area encompasses nearly 100 square miles. Most of the refuge consists of cypress swampland, home to white-tailed deer, alligators, raccoons, nutria and rabbits. The park’s waters provide a habitat for crappie, largemouth bass and perch. From late autumn to early spring, the refuge also hosts bald eagles.
Louisiana Lost Lands Environmental Tours
-5 Star Rating On TripAdvisor-
Louisiana Lost Lands Environmental Tours – conduct kayak tours through the Maurepas swamps. Tours begin in New Orleans with a presentation about Louisiana’s threatened wetlands. Afterwards, passengers travel to Maurepas, where they paddle through the swamps for about 3-4 hours. Tours cost around $95-175 per person, depending on group size.
Atchafalaya Basin
The Atchafalaya Basin, America’s largest swamp, is located 30 miles northeast of Lafayette. Each year, commercial fishers harvest more than 20 million pounds of crawfish from the area, which also is home to roseate spoonbills, alligators and water moccasins.
Atchafalaya Basin Landing and Marina in Henderson offers airboat tours of the swampland seven days per week. Tours cost around $50 for adults and $35 for kids five years of age and younger.
HOTELS NEAR THE LOUISIANA WETLANDS
Jean Lafitte National Park and Preserve: Barataria Preserve
The Barataria Preserve, located 25 minutes south of New Orleans, encompasses 36 square miles of wetlands that are home to hundreds of bird species, wildflowers and alligators. The park offers a cellphone tour, which guides visitors along trails and boardwalks.
-5 Star Rating On Trip Advisor–
Jean Lafitte Swamp Tours – conducts pontoon boat tours of the preserve, which run just under two hours. Tours start at around $29 for adults and $12 for kids 3-12 years of age.
Pearl River Wildlife Management Area
Located just a few miles from Slidell, the Pearl River Wildlife Management Area is home to wild boars, turkeys, minks, bobcats, nutria and deer. The preserve covers more than 30,000 acres and is a nesting ground for golden and bald eagles. The park allows fishing, boating and canoeing in its ponds, streams and bayous and has several boat ramps.
Dr. Wagner’s Honey Island Swamp Tours
Dr Wagner’s Honey Island Swamp Tours – offers boat tours of the preserve for around $25 for adults and $15 for children.
Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge
Located just outside New Orleans, Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge is a habitat for hundreds of bird species. The area sits behind levees designed to withstand hurricanes, which helps to protect the marshland and the animals that make their home in the refuge.
The refuge allows sport fishing, for species such as catfish, crappie, largemouth bass and bluegill.
White Lake Wetlands Conservations Area
White Lake Wetlands Conservations Area is located in Vermilion Parish, about one hour southwest of Lafayette. About 80 square miles of marshland occupy the preserve, which is home to a large population of black-crowned herons and other bird species. The park also is home to a flock of the endangered whooping crane.
– 4 1/2 Stars On Trip Advisor –
White Lake Wetlands is open year round and has a 2-mile trail that meanders through the bird sanctuary.
Biloxi State Wildlife Management Area
Situated between the Chandeleur Sound and Lake Borgne, the Biloxi State Wildlife Management Area is home to waterfowl, fish, crabs and shrimp. The park lies 40 miles east of New Orleans on 36,000 acres of sloughs and bayous, covered with widgeon grass, black rush and salt grass.
The park is a popular spot for commercial and sport fishing, as well as hunting. Wildlife in the area include snipe, ducks, rabbits and deer, and the area’s waters are home to crabs, shrimp, flounder, redfish and speckled trout.
Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge
-4 1/2 Stars On Trip Advisor –
The Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge encompasses 57 acres of sloughs, lakes, swamps and bayous along the Louisiana-Mississippi state line. The topography of the park changes throughout the year, as the river floods and subsides with the seasons.
Bogue Chitto provides a habitat for an abundance of wildlife, including alligators, swallow-tailed kites, gopher tortoises and ringed-sawbacked turtles. The park is also home to the Gulf sturgeon, an imposing-looking fish that can grow up to nine feet long. Sturgeon can live in fresh and salt water and are on the federal endangered species list. The park allows hunting and fishing, and has a limited number of areas designated for primitive camping.
CAMPER RENTALS
You Will Love It!
Where to Rent a Camper