Louisiana--The Creole Nature Trail

 
Date: 2004-11-17

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This 105-mile, 2-1/2 hour route winds through marshes, prairies, wildlife refuges, and Gulf shoreline in southwestern Louisiana and is a favorite of birding and shelling enthusiasts. The drive is best accomplished fall through spring, and insect repellant is strongly recommended. The drive sets off from Sulphur, just west of Lake Charles on I-10. Its name is derived from the huge mineral deposits found in a nearby salt dome. Heading south on Rte. 27, it crosses the Intercoastal Waterway and passes Calcasieu Lake. Beyond the bridge, the landscape changes dramatically to a brackish tidal marsh, followed by a shipping channel and oil fields. It then continues on through Hackberry where many shrimp boats traverse Calcasieu Lake.

Before long, you'll enter the 125,000-acre Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, the Gulf Coast's largest waterfowl refuge with more than 250 species. Four miles beyond, you just might see alligators, egrets, Roseate Spoonbills, and other seasonal fowl on the 1-1/2 mile Marsh Trail. The gulf town of Holly Beach is up next, offering exceptional shelling from October through February. Turning left onto Rte. 27/82 you'll head east. Take a free ferry ride across the shipping channel to Cameron. Vistas of coastal vegetation mark the ride into Creole, where you'll turn north on Rte. 27.

Again crossing the Intercoastal Waterway, the drive enters the Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge, with its grasslands and farmlands that attract ducks, doves, and rare black rails. Next, turn west onto Rte. 384 heading through the rice fields, turn north onto Rte. 385 and continue to the drive's end in the port of Lake Charles, where the town's historic Charpentier District features about 20 blocks of vintage Victorian architecture.

Starting Point:
Sulphur, LA

Distance of Drive:
105 miles

Must Eat:
Pujo Street Cafe
508 Pujo Street, Lake Charles, LA 70601
Phone:  337-439-2054
Call ahead to confirm hours of operation.
Good Stop For:  Seafood / Steaks

Best Time of Year for Drive:
Fall to spring

Points of Interest on Drive:
Sabine National Wildlife Refuge
Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge

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