Erin Z. Bass 2017-01-15 13:37:05
Louisiana is gaining traction as a premier hiking destination in the South, with plenty of alligators, bald eagles and swampland to keep backpackers and day trippers constantly looking around the next bend. Making up 4,416 acres in Terrebonne Parish, Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge provides a glimpse of three dierent habitats and abundant wildlife within a 45-minute hike. Even better: Geocachers can find hidden treasures in the preserve, since Mandalay is part of Louisiana’s first o©cial GeoTour. Chicot State Park also oers a rich mix of ecosystems, while the Wild Azalea Trail in Kisatchie National Forest is home to the longest hiking trail in the state. View the changing colors of a hardwood forest on three trails at Tunica Hills, also known for its wildlife. More moderate trails include the 5.5-mile Bonnet Carre Spillway near LaPlace and the Joyce WMA Swamp Walk boardwalk extending 1,000 feet into a dense tupelo and cypress forest. Channel your inner Indiana Jones by hunting for hidden treasures on the Solomon Northup Geocaching Trail, or walk to Louisiana’s highest “peak,” 535-foot-high Driskill Mountain.
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