Creole Nature Trail
Creole Nature Trail Suggested Tour
| Departure: | Sulphur, Louisiana |
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| Destination: | Lake Charles, Louisiana |
| Time to allow: | 1 day |
Please see the information on the "Visitor Services" page prior to planning your trip.
Offering an up close and personal view of Louisiana's unique environment, this tour of the Creole Nature Trail travels through hundreds of thousands of acres of untouched wetlands fraught with some of the most beautiful scenery imaginable-alligators, birds, wildflowers, gulf beaches, and all kinds of Southwest Louisiana wildlife. Beginning on Hwy. 27 near Sulphur and Lake Charles, the 180-mile trail cuts through the marshlands of southern Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes and hugs the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Besides pine trees, you'll see fields of rice, soybeans, cattle and country homesteads in the summer, and in the spring, the water lilies and blossoming water hyacinth growing in the marsh will be paradise to photographers. And for those who like to photograph wildlife, the Trail takes you to four different wildlife refuges and a bird sanctuary.
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Start: Sulphur
Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes This tour of the Creole Nature Trail begins in Sulphur, Louisiana. The area is noted for rolling pasture land which gradually turns to wetland. Small ponds and bayous begin to appear as well.
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Stop 2: Cameron Parish
Distance from Previous Site: 10 miles / 16.0 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 13 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes After crossing Ellender Bridge, we enter Cameron Parish, the largest parish in the state. The vegetation in the area is mostly of the salt marsh variety. Additionally, the landscape is dotted with oil wells and oilfield pumping stations.
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Stop 3: Hackberry
Distance from Previous Site: 7.4 miles / 11.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 10 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 20 minutes Next, we approach Hackberry. In this vicinity we find an abundance of shrimp and crab houses along Kelso Bayou. Here, seafood is cheap and plentiful. The area is important to the commercial fishing industry because of the abundance of natural resources.
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Stop 4: Sabine National Wildlife Refuge
Distance from Previous Site: 10 miles / 16.0 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 13 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 1 hour A bit further down the Byway, we come upon the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge. Here, visitors get views of birds and other marsh animals. The Refuge includes the 1.5 mile self-guided Marsh Trail with interpretation stations, an observation tower, and panoramic view of miles of marsh terrain.
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Stop 5: Holly Beach
Distance from Previous Site: 11 miles / 17.6 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 15 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 1 hour Following the Creole Nature Trail south, we reach the Gulf Coast at Holly Beach. This area is know as the "Cajun Riviera." The beach provides 25 miles of year-round beaches and a variety of outdoor recreation. From this point, the Byway moves west along the Gulf Coast.
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Stop 6: Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge
Distance from Previous Site: 50 miles / 80.0 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 1 hour 10 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 1 hour Approximately 30 miles down the Byway, following the Gulf Coast, we come upon the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge. This area is home to a variety of wintering waterfowl and resident mammals. The refuge is also an important area for research studies on a number of marsh management strategies. Visitors are able to enjoy recreational fishing in this area, but hunting is prohibited. Visitors will want to be cautious of alligators which inhabit the area.
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End: Lake Charles
Distance from Previous Site: 90 miles / 144.0 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 2 hours Suggested Time at This Site: 15 minutes From this area, visitors may choose to turn back west toward Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Reserve and end the tour at Lake Charles
