Barataria Preserve Description:

The Barataria Preserve outside Marrero offers a taste of Louisiana’s wild wetlands. The preserve’s 30,000 acres include bayous, swamps, marshes, forests, alligators, deer, nutrias, and over 300 species of birds. Boardwalk and dirt trails wind through the preserve and waterways can be explored by canoe or kayak. Hunting is allowed on the preserve and regulations are posted on their web site every summer.

New exhibits at the preserve visitor center highlight how the Mississippi River built Louisiana’s coastal wetlands, the national importance of those areas, and the relationship between the land and the people who live there. Carved models and interactive displays present the preserve’s plants and animals through sound, sight, and interactive challenges to survival (if you were a fish, could you avoid the snapping turtle’s bite?).

Park rangers offer guided walks, canoe treks, and birdwatching walks; canoe treks and walks under the full moon show off the preserve by night. The bookstore stocks field guides, children’s books, and a wide range of other publications. Rangers are on duty daily to answer visitor questions and offer special talks and educational programs by reservation, including programs at the preserve’s Environmental Education Center.