Lake Faust Pointe State Park

To enjoy the Louisiana Atchafalaya Basin wildlife, you need to not only hike, but you need to get out on the water. Many areas of the basin are only accessible by boat. At Lake Faussee Pointe State Park, we enjoyed the great outdoors both ways.

There are three hiking trails in the park, all starting near the interpretive center. We did trail B, about a 30 minute hike. Trail A is a short 15 minute loop and trail C is a longer 2 -2.5 hour hike. You can also trail bike ride on Trail C. While hiking we did see some turtles and a ribbon snake. There are also many wildflowers along the path. The trail was easy to walk and follow, with a few roots in the dirt areas and boardwalks over the wet, swampy areas.

On another day, we got the inflatable kayak out and went paddling on the water. There are lots of waterways for kayaking and canoeing. You can rent kayaks and canoes in the park if you don’t have your own. Many of the waterways are large enough for a fishing boat. There is a boat launch near the front of the park (and where we launched from). While the park does rent fishing boats, none are motorized. Being on the water, it didn’t take us long to see our first of many alligators. At first it was a little unnerving being in the kayak with gators swimming nearby, but soon we realize that as long as we give them space, the gators have no interest in us. We also saw turtles, birds, and old oil and gas wells. We ate lunch at one of the canoe campsites while a “hungry” alligator watched from the water.

In additional to hiking trails, boat launch, and boat rentals, the park has a campground, backpacking and canoe campsites, and cabins to rent. It’s a great place to visit or stay to enjoy nature in the Atchafalaya Basin.