America's Byways® Press Room
January 5, 2006 - Creole Nature Trail All-American Road After Hurricane Rita

(December 16, 2005) Southern Cameron Parish (south of the Intracoastal Canal) is currently only open to travel during daylight hours and is restricted to residents of the area. The speed limit has been reduced to 45 mph for the safety reasons.

Public restroom facilities are limited along the Trail and not available at all south of Hackberry on LA 27, LA 27 south of the Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge or on LA 82 from the Texas State line to the Vermilion Parish line.

Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge has re-opened. All other refuges, Sabine, Cameron Prairie and Rockefeller, are still closed to the public at this time.

Fishing is booming in Calcasieu Lake, but accommodations are scarce. For information on guide services, fishing or hunting, please visit http://www.visitlakecharles.org.

Brown’s Grocery & Deli, in Hackberry, is open and ready for business.

(October 20, 2005) Birds, flora, fauna and alligators along the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road bring in over 300,000 visitors each year. The Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Creole Nature Trail District have assessed the trail, and with the current situation, the trail will not be able to host visitors for several months ahead due to Hurricane Rita.

Ecotourism and outdoor recreation represent the second most popular reason visitors come to Southwest Louisiana behind casino gaming. The marsh has a significant amount of debris and damage, and many necessary conveniences for visitors are not available.

The Creole Nature Trail marketing plan is well renowned, and the brand is widely recognized. The trail has received numerous accolades such as a Best Practices award in 2003, a Best 10 award by the Nuciforia Consulting Group in 2004 and numerous Shining Example Awards by the Southeast Tourism Society.

“The trail is so well loved that we are getting inquiries from tourism partners across the United States and the world. Representatives from the Japanese Hokkaido Scenic Byway District visited the area last year to gain insight on our marketing strategies. After Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, we received regular correspondence from them, making sure that we were okay and inquiring about the trail. The overwhelming response makes it that much more apparent that there is an emotional connection people feel toward the Creole Nature Trail,” said Monte Hurley, chairman of the Creole Nature Trail District.

The Creole Nature Trail All-American Road is top notch for bird watching, and many hunting and fishing hot spots thrive along the trail. The marsh will eventually recover, and birds and alligators will be in abundance once again. The Creole Nature Trail District is projecting to invite people to experience the trail in the late spring of next year.

For more information, contact the Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau at 800-456-7952, visit http://www.visitlakecharles.org or http://www.creolenaturetrail.org.

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