Woodlands Conservancy's Woodlands Trail

449 F. Edward Hebert Blvd. Belle Chasse, LA 70037

Directions

From downtown New Orleans, take the Crescent City Connection to the Westbank. Take the General DeGaulle East exit (9B). Merge onto General DeGaulle and travel 2.9 miles, continuing over the Intracoastal Canal. Enter the traffic circle at the end of the bridge ramp and exit left to go under the bridge. Drive 0.6 miles on Highway 406/Woodland Hwy to the caution light. Turn left at the caution light onto F. Edward Hebert Blvd. Continue 0.6 Miles. The entrance is on the left. Drive on the dirt road along the canal to the parking area at the trailhead.

The Woodlands Conservancy works to preserve and restore forested wetlands and other ecologically or historically significant lands in Louisiana. The Woodlands Trail and Park, a 649-acre forested wetland, is protected in perpetuity via the acquisition of the property by the Woodlands Conservancy and the donation of a conservation servitude to the Land Trust for Louisiana.

This site’s extensive trail system runs through numerous wetland habitats. Cypress-tupelo gum swamps and miscellaneous ponds yield waterfowl such as Black-bellied Whistling-Duck, Wood Duck and Hooded Merganser. Other common waterbirds include shorebirds such as Solitary Sandpiper and Greater Yellowlegs, Common Gallinule, Anhinga, American White and Brown Pelicans, along with 10 species of wading birds and wetland-based raptors such as Osprey, Swallow-tailed and Mississippi Kites, Bald Eagle, and Broad-winged Hawk.

Flycatchers such as Olive-sided Flycatcher, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Acadian Flycatcher, Great-crested Flycatcher, and Eastern Kingbird make appearances seasonally. Migrating songbirds such as Veery, Swainson’s Thrush, Worm-eating Warbler, and Northern and Louisiana Waterthrushes have been recorded here.

Common winter songbirds include Blue-headed Vireo, Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Chipping, Lark, Song, and Swamp Sparrows, as well as Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Common nesting species include Red-shouldered Hawk, Barred Owl, Pileated Woodpecker, White-eyed and Red-eyed Vireos, Carolina Wren, Brown Thrasher, Yellow-breasted Chat, Prothonotary and Hooded Warblers, Northern Cardinal, and Indigo Bunting.

The Woodlands Trail and Park is an educational, historical, and recreational greenway and trail system open to the general public. Amenities include parking, identification/directional/interpretive signage and 13 miles of trails traversing bottomland hardwood forest habitat. Recreational opportunities include hiking, horseback riding, and birding.

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