Louisiana’s wetlands hold a special place in our hearts. From the bayous to the swamps, these important ecosystems make up a huge part of our lives. People travel from all over to catch a glimpse of our beautiful wetlands, and we’ve got some amazing photos of our swamps and bayous that will make you proud to live in the Bayou State.
- Maurepas Swamp
CWPPRA/Flickr Located just outside New Orleans, the Maurepas Swamp is composed of roughly 63,000 acres that is mostly accessible by boat. From white-tailed deer to bald eagles, you never know what you’ll come across in this beautiful cypress-tupelo swamp. There’s an old tale that’s been passed around for generations, many believing that the swamp is haunted by the ghost of Juliet White, a voodoo priestess. Learn more about this spooky story here.
- Lake Martin
Wikimedia Part of the Cypress Island Nature Preserve, Lake Martin has one of the largest nesting colonies for water birds in Louisiana. The preserve is made up of roughly 9,500 acres of both cypress-tupelo swamp and bottomland hardwood forest and is home to scores of wildlife like gators, snakes, turtles, and more.
- Atchafalaya Basin
Atchafalaya National Heritage Area/Facebook Clocking in at almost one million acres, the Atchafalaya Basin is the nation’s largest river swamp. People travel from all over the globe to see these bottomland hardwoods, swamps, bayous, backwater lakes, and for good reason! This important ecosystem is the home for roughly 65 different species of reptiles and amphibians, more than 250 species of birds, and also nutria, fox, beaver, otters, and even the Louisiana black bear. The basin is also home to the largest concentration of bald eagles in the south-central United States.
- Barataria Preserve
Coffeespiral/Flickr If you’re looking to experience Louisiana’s wetlands up close and personal, then you have to drive over to Barataria Preserve in Marrero. The boardwalk trails allow you access to parts of the swamps and bayous that just aren’t accessible any other way. The preserve’s 23,000 acres include swamps, marshes, forests, and scores of wildlife.
- Honey Island Swamp
Dr. Wagner’s Honey Island Swamp Tours/Facebook Named for the population of bees that were one spotted in the area, this St. Tammany Parish swampland is one of the least-altered river swamps in the country, and many believe it to be the most pristine swampland in the United States. Legend has it that this 70,000-acre swamp is home to the Honey Island Swamp Monster, also known as the Tainted Keitre. Check out our previous article here to find out about swamp tours in the area.
- Big Branch
Sean Hurly/All Trails While technically Big Branch is a coastal marsh, it’s so beautiful it just had to make the list. The Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge was formed in 1994 and is comprised of approximately 15,000 acres of pine flat woods and coastal marsh.
Have you ever toured any of these swamps? Let us know in the comments below!
CWPPRA/Flickr
Located just outside New Orleans, the Maurepas Swamp is composed of roughly 63,000 acres that is mostly accessible by boat. From white-tailed deer to bald eagles, you never know what you’ll come across in this beautiful cypress-tupelo swamp. There’s an old tale that’s been passed around for generations, many believing that the swamp is haunted by the ghost of Juliet White, a voodoo priestess. Learn more about this spooky story here.
Wikimedia
Part of the Cypress Island Nature Preserve, Lake Martin has one of the largest nesting colonies for water birds in Louisiana. The preserve is made up of roughly 9,500 acres of both cypress-tupelo swamp and bottomland hardwood forest and is home to scores of wildlife like gators, snakes, turtles, and more.
Atchafalaya National Heritage Area/Facebook
Clocking in at almost one million acres, the Atchafalaya Basin is the nation’s largest river swamp. People travel from all over the globe to see these bottomland hardwoods, swamps, bayous, backwater lakes, and for good reason! This important ecosystem is the home for roughly 65 different species of reptiles and amphibians, more than 250 species of birds, and also nutria, fox, beaver, otters, and even the Louisiana black bear. The basin is also home to the largest concentration of bald eagles in the south-central United States.
Coffeespiral/Flickr
If you’re looking to experience Louisiana’s wetlands up close and personal, then you have to drive over to Barataria Preserve in Marrero. The boardwalk trails allow you access to parts of the swamps and bayous that just aren’t accessible any other way. The preserve’s 23,000 acres include swamps, marshes, forests, and scores of wildlife.
Dr. Wagner’s Honey Island Swamp Tours/Facebook
Named for the population of bees that were one spotted in the area, this St. Tammany Parish swampland is one of the least-altered river swamps in the country, and many believe it to be the most pristine swampland in the United States. Legend has it that this 70,000-acre swamp is home to the Honey Island Swamp Monster, also known as the Tainted Keitre. Check out our previous article here to find out about swamp tours in the area.
Sean Hurly/All Trails
While technically Big Branch is a coastal marsh, it’s so beautiful it just had to make the list. The Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge was formed in 1994 and is comprised of approximately 15,000 acres of pine flat woods and coastal marsh.
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