Filed under: Activities & Attractions

Creole Nature Trail All-American Road

May 9, 2012 by Guest Blogger · Leave a Comment

Print This Post ·

On a sunny day, it’s good to just grab a few snacks, find a wide brimmed hat, dig out the old sun block and sport a huge pair of sunglasses in hopes of discovering something beautiful and natural along the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road, near Lake Charles, Louisiana. Take Exit 20 off Interstate 10 and follow Hwy. 27 south toward the Gulf of Mexico.

The Creole Nature Trail All-American Road is a 180-mile driving tour through fertile marshlands, several wildlife refuges and along Louisiana’s Gulf Coast. Here outdoor adventure and abundant wildlife are waiting for you in their natural habitat.

The Creole Nature Trail All-American Road has now been brought to life with the GPS Ranger™ Handheld Video Solution and Smartphone application for visitors. The free app can be downloaded at the iTunes App Store or Android Market, and the GPS Ranger™ Handheld Unit can be rented at the Lake Charles/Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors Bureau free of charge.

As soon as you step outside, the Ranger begins using the Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine your location. Whenever you enter the satellite radius of a point of interest along the Creole Nature Trail, video about what you are viewing automatically plays along with trivia questions for the entire family. The Ranger tour is also available in multiple languages including English, French, Spanish, German and even closed-captioned.

Hitting the trail, you can see several wildlife refuges and attractions, including the Wetland Walkway at the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge or the Cameron Prairie National Wildlife Refuge. Along the Wetland Walkway, you can actually walk out onto a raised platform walking trail that takes you right into the marsh where you can see alligators and other wildlife. Cameron Prairie has an interactive exhibit that gives an in-depth history of the Cajun/Creole people and the importance of preserving the wetlands. The Pintail Wildlife Drive is perfect for taking in the view of nature’s beauty right from your car window!

The Creole Nature Trail’s 26 miles of natural beaches are easily accessible offering a wide range of water activities. You can swim, tube, surf fish, observe shore birds, sunbathe and go shelling. They are particularly excellent for shelling. Located west of the Mississippi Delta, they are constantly replenished by the “muddy river’s” southeast tidal flow which carries rich deposits of driftwood and a wide variety of shells including welks, cockles, angelwings, cateyes, olives, wentletraps, coquinas and periwinkles.
For more information on the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road, visit www.creolenaturetrail.org. For accommodations, other attractions and restaurants near the Creole Nature Trail, visit www.visitlakecharles.org.