Indian Bayou

In the Atchafalaya Basin of south Louisiana, you’ll find the Indian Bayou. It comprises 28,500 acres of swampy wilderness. You can enjoy lots of recreational activities in the bayou including hunting and fishing, hiking, bird watching, boating, and even horseback riding. We spent a few hours hiking several of the trails.

We started at Oxbow trail which is a short hike to an overlook of Oxbow Lake. Other than a few wildflowers, we didn’t really see much of interest. It’s a very short trail, only taking us about 20 minutes to hike out and back.

From here we drove a little farther north on the levee road and parked at the Indian Bayou parking lot. There are 2 different trailheads here, Alligator Trail and Indian Bayou Loop. We started with the Alligator trail, a 1.5 mile loop. It is a nice trail of hard packed dirt with boardwalks over the wet, swampy areas and is easy to follow. There are some informational signs along the trail about wildlife and plant identification. Unfortunately with age, many are hard to read and several have almost completely rotted away. As you walk along, you may not be sure where to look. Gazing over the murky water, you may see an alligator or turtle. Glancing at the ground, you see lots of wildflowers, berries, insects, and possibly a snake. Looking overhead you can see various types of trees that are home to many songbirds.

When we completed the Alligator Trail loop, we headed out on the Indian Bayou Loop going counter clockwise. The trail starts off as a gravel one lane road (though motor cars are not permitted) and gradually turns into hard packed dirt. You follow along the water on the opposite side from the Alligator Trail. This path has lots of wildflowers along it and we saw some butterflies and bees enjoying them.

Bee on thistle - Indian Bayou Loop trail

At about the halfway point, we decided to veer off onto the White Shell Trail toward the levee road. This was a wide gravel path cutting through the swamp, with water on both sides, but raised enough that your feet stay dry. We saw more birds on this trail, herons and egrets, as well as an alligator and a snake. It was just a short walk along the road back to the parking area from the end of the White Shell Trail.

If you decide to explore the Indian Bayou, I highly recommend stopping at The Atchafalaya Welcome Center first. It is located at exit 121 of I-10. It contains a few displays, has lots of free info about nearby attractions, and a short 4.5 minute video about the Atchafalaya Basin. The staff are knowledgable about the area, can answer all your questions, and provide you with guidance and tips for your travels.

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Indian Bayou

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Off the Rails Part 2