iStockphoto.com/Jaimie Tuchman
Nicknamed Louisiana’s Outback, Creole Scenic Nature Trail (SR 27/SR 82) will treat you to an excursion through three national wildlife refuges south of Lake Charles. Prairie lands and crop fields dotted by rural farms dominate the northern half of the trail and wetlands abound in the south as you approach the Gulf of Mexico.
Journey south through prairies where you may spot raccoons and squirrels, and marshes where you’re almost sure to see an alligator. Pass by a stilt-house neighborhood and alongside sandy beaches where you may view oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. After skirting the Gulf and a short ferry ride, travel through coastal communities, marshes and swamps before heading north.
