The notebook of Grand Isle et Barataria
Walk where the land meets the sea.
Barrier Island, Gulf beaches and delta marshes south of New Orleans.
At your own pace
Identity summary
2 to 5 days
Spring · Summer · Autumn · Winter
Recommended car
Island · Coast · Marshes and wetlands · Nature
Variable accessibility
Sweet rhythm
General presentation
Grand Isle et Barataria
Barrier Island, Gulf beaches and delta marshes south of New Orleans.
To understand what Grand Isle and Barataria are, you have to look at Grand Isle State Park, Barataria Preserve and Elmer's Island. These places give us a view of a territory marked by island landscapes, coastline, wetlands and natural spaces and allow us to move from emblematic sites to more intimate stages.
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For a stay of 2 to 5 days, a quiet rhythm works well. Also to be anticipated: conditions to be checked according to the season. A car is usually the easiest way to connect different sectors. Accessibility varies from site to site and deserves to be checked step by step.
Strengths and constraints
Strengths
- Grand Isle State Park
- Barataria Preserve
- Elmer's Island
Before you choose
- Car often useful
- Conditions to be checked by season
Places worth visiting
A selection to start dreaming and organizing the stay — not an exhaustive list of everything there is to see.
Nature and landscape
Grand Isle State Park
Grand Isle State Park faces the Gulf of Mexico, with beach, low dunes, fishing and passing birds on an island-barrier exposed to the winds. The landscape seems fragile and open, ideal for feeling the coastal Louisiana in what is most maritime, between sand, piers and horizon without relief.
Place indismissible
Barataria Preserve
Barataria Preserve, attached to the Jean Lafitte historic park, protects a set of marshes, humid forests and bayous accessible by footbridges and trails. A short distance from New Orleans, the site allows to observe cypresses, palmottos, birds and sometimes alligators without leaving the developed paths.
Nature and landscape
Elmer's Island
Elmers Island opens on a band of beaches more wild than the built-up approaches to Grand Isle, with low dunes, salt marshes and direct views of the Gulf of Mexico. Fishermen come there for surfcasting, while walkers observe coastal birds, shells and razing light on shallow waters.
Culture and heritage
Fort Livingston
Fort Livingston It stands in ruins on Grand Terre, facing the waters of Barataria Bay, with its brick walls invaded by vegetation and salt. Access usually requires a boat, which reinforces the impression of isolated vestige, linked to coastal defences and the stories of smuggling of the Louisian coast.
Practical tips
This information helps know if the destination matches the planned trip before starting a fuller search.
To go further
More activities
Restaurants, walks, culture, leisure and outings to search without leaving the destination card.
The nearest destinations
The closest ideas on the map, to extend your trip.
Escaped to discover
Northshore et lac Pontchartrain
Louisiana, 🇺🇸 United States of America
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