Creole Nature Trail
Driving Directions

Driving the Byway

Beginning on Hwy. 27 near Sulphur and Lake Charles, this 180-mile trail cuts through the marshlands of southern Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes and hugs the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

Condensed Directions

  • Beginning in Sulphur, Louisiana, travel south along Highway 27.
  • Cross the Intracoastal Waterway and continue south to Hackberry.
  • Travel on Highway 27 south to Holly Beach. There, you can travel State Highway 82 west to the Texas State Line or travel east through Cameron, Creole, Grand Chenier, and the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge.
  • Traveling east on State Highway 82, travelers might opt to turn onto State Highway 27 at Creole and travel north to Creole, the Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge and Lake Charles.
  • At Holmwood, State Highway 27 will turn into State Highway 14, stay on LA-14 north and head to the City of Lake Charles.

Detailed Directions

From Sulphur to Holly Beach

  • Travel south on Highway 27 from Sulphur.
  • The Cameron Parish line appears soon after crossing the Intracoastal Waterway on the Ellender Bridge.
  • Continuing south you will approach the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge.
  • Four miles farther south is the refuge's Wetland Walkway.
  • After exiting the Sabine Refuge, travel approximately seven miles to Holly Beach.

From Holly Beach to the Texas Border

  • From Holly Beach, one of two spurs off the trail’s main loop veers westward along the Gulf of Mexico past natural sand beaches to the Louisiana/Texas state line.
  • A few miles west of Holly Beach is Johnson Bayou.

From Holly Beach to Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge

  • After returning to the main loop, cross the Calcasieu Ship Channel via a large public ferry before entering the town of Cameron.
  • Continue east on Highway 82; there is a Y in the road. The northern road—to the left—is the main loop of the Byway. To the right, LA-27 leads toward Rutherford Beach and Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge.
  • Heading eastward from Rutherford Beach, the Byway passes through Oak Grove and makes its way over the Mermentau River to Grand Chenier and Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge.
  • Proceeding north on LA-27 and passing through the community of Creole on Highway 27, the trail gradually leaves the salt marshes behind for fresh water marshes.
  • Approaching the Gibbstown Bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway again, the trail enters the Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge.
  • Immediately after exiting the bridge, the entrance to the Pintail Drive appears to the east.
  • The main facility of the Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge appears soon after returning to the northern trek on Highway 27.
  • At the juncture of Highways 384 and 27, there is an opportunity to loop around.
  • By turning west on 384, the route passes through lakeside communities, or continues north along Highway 27 toward Holmwood.
  • Along Highway 384, and again crossing the Intracoastal Waterway, is the rural community of Big Lake.
  • Continuing north along Highway 27, the Byway passes an area that served as an army pilot training base in World War I, formerly known as Gerstner Field.
  • Either route loops up toward Highway 14 in Lake Charles, the hub to five other unique communities in Calcasieu Parish: DeQuincy, Iowa, Sulphur, Vinton, and Westlake.

From Lake Charles Regional Airport

Distance: 180 miles Driving Time: 1-1/2 to 2 days, depending on route

While there are five entrances to the Creole Nature Trail, the largest and most frequently traveled begins on Highway 27, south of Interstate 10 exit 20, in Sulphur, Louisiana. A thriving community, Sulphur rests midway between Houston, Texas and New Orleans, Louisiana. The trail loops through 180 miles of bayous and marshlands, and along the shore of the Gulf of Mexico before once again heading north. The remaining entrances are located on LA 82 at the Texas state line and the Vermilion Parish line; exit 36 from Interstate 10; and just north of the Lake Charles Regional Airport on LA 385.