Outdoor Adventuring on Louisiana's Northshore

St. Tammany Parish, which has long been known by the nickname “Louisiana’s Northshore,” has been drawing visitors to the cool, piney woods north of Lake Pontchartrain for more than a century. Historically the region served as a popular summertime getaway for well-to-do New Orleanians, who in the late nineteenth century, escaped the city heat by boarding one of the ferries that crisscrossed Lake Pontchartrain, seeking out the sandy streams and healing artesian waters of Abita Springs to treat ailments and replenish themselves. Nowadays, Abita Springs is just one of dozens of destinations making the Louisiana Northshore a diverse and sophisticated getaway destination within easy driving distance. The Northshore greets visitors with spectacular state parks, miles of wildlife preserves, walkable downtown districts featuring restaurants paying homage to Louisiana’s many regional flavors, and one of the state’s most extensive networks of biking trails. In springtime, there’s no better time to discover all that the Northshore has to offer.

Outdoor Adventuring on Louisiana's Northshore

Bayou State, Sportsman’s Paradise — a license plate says a lot about a state, and two of Louisiana’s most famous monikers can be experienced along Lake Pontchartrain. Take to Louisiana’s waterways on a guided kayak tour with Canoe & Trail Adventures. Committed to sustainable tourism, Canoe & Trail Adventures’ master naturalists can point out the abundant wildlife that thrive in the network of wetlands here. You might see turtles bobbing in and out of the water, eagles taking flight, and yes, alligators. Opt for a Twilight Paddle to experience a sunset on Lake Pontchartrain after kayaking along Cane Bayou, where you might spot mounds of shell and rock that originally served as trading posts used by the Native Americans who once lived here.

If the birdlife spotted during a kayak tour piques your interest, a trip to the Northlake Nature Center is definitely in order. Located across from Fontainebleau State Park, the 400-acre Northlake Nature Center abounds with opportunities to identify dozens of bird species that make the park their permanent home or pass through. Encompassing hardwood forest, pine-hardwood forest, and pond-swamp ecosystems, the center hosts all sorts of wildlife, but birds take center stage. Depending on the season, you might spot a white-eyed vireo, a summer tanager, or an Eastern kingbird, to name a few. The annual Great Louisiana BirdFest (which takes place this year on April 21, from 6:30 am–noon) provides visitors with opportunities to catch the migration of birds returning from Mexico and South America through the Northshore.

On dry land, there’s no better way to tour St. Tammany than by taking to the Tammany Trace. Stretching thirty-one miles from Mandeville to Slidell, the Tammany Trace is a “rails to trails” project that in the 1990s revitalized an old corridor of the Illinois Central Railroad, a rail line that once connected the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes. Now, tourists and locals alike can walk, run, bike or skate this tree-lined trail. Don’t have a bike on hand? Brooks’ Bike Shop will saddle you up, so you can cycle through a stretch of Louisiana’s railroad history, with sustaining stops at Northshore culinary landmarks such as Hambone in Mandeville, the Abita Springs Brew Pub, or any one of dozens of dining destinations in downtown Covington.

That's just a taste. To start discovering more of what Louisiana's Northshore has to offer visit louisiananorthshore.com/things-to-do/