Photo by Pete Verbois

There aren’t many places in Louisiana where, in the course of one medium-length bicycle ride, you might roll by historic mansions, tackle ten percent inclines, sweep between open fields, traverse low-water bridges and be chased by an angry goose. Or be challenged to a race by a guy riding a horse along the shoulder. Bareback. And while being attacked by overconfident poultry or learning you’re not fast enough to beat a fat fellow on a quarterhorse to the next stop sign are thrilling experiences in themselves, the fact that both have happened to me also illustrates something about the Felicianas that makes them great parishes to explore by bicycle—they’re rural, and they’re really quite quirky, too.

Indeed, once you get a few miles off the main highways (U.S. Highway 61, Louisiana Highways 10 and 66), you’re as likely to encounter a herd of cows as you are a convoy of SUVs. With scores (maybe hundreds) of miles of undulating, well-paved, lightly traveled roads winding their way through the hills, fields and forests on both sides of Highway 61, there are dozens of scenic routes of varying lengths and difficulties available to any intrepid cyclist with a map, GPS-enabled cell phone or reasonable sense of direction. Parking in downtown St. Francisville affords access to lots of options, most of which require little or no time on busy Highway 61. Time your return so you can refuel with a French dip po-boy or seafood enchilada at the Favorite Small-Town Restaurant category winner from last year’s survey, The Magnolia Café.

So saddle up (and I’m not talking to you, Mr. Horse-Rider-Guy). The most popular Feliciana Bike Ride in this year’s survey was also the shortest—the Downtown St. Francisville/Bayou Sara Loop. Start with a cruise down Ferdinand Street, and take a left on picturesque Royal Street to eyeball some of St. Francisville’s prettiest historic homes. Turn left to rejoin Ferdinand Street and fly down Catholic Hill toward the Mississippi River. The road dead-ends at the old ferry landing, so you can either carry on another mile or so to enjoy a panoramic outlook over the Mighty Muddy or take a quick right at the bottom of the hill onto Tunica Street.

This pretty, shaded laneway turns into Mahoney Road in short order, lulling you into a false sense of security with shaded forest canopy and single lane bridges, then makes you pay with a steep climb up out of the bottomland. This is the beginning of the Tunica Hills. Long white fences on your left announce Imahara’s Botanical Garden—an ambitious, developing garden project landscaped on acres of sweeping hillsides. Carrying on along Mahoney Road could turn this into a much longer ride but today, a right turn when you get to Airport Road will lead you through a quiet suburban neighborhood back toward town.

Turn right onto Charlotte Armstrong, right again on American Beauty, and again onto Commerce Street, which you’ll follow for a mile or so back to the starting point for a total of seven miles of untrafficked byways, and an easy, scenic introduction to cycling the Felicanas with nary a mad goose to be seen.

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