The 629-square-mile Lake Pontchartrain gives many of the towns near its shore an ocean side feel, while not even a few miles inland you’ll find lush, pine forests surrounding neighborhoods giving off a forest vibe of the Great Northwest. Since smaller lakes and marshlands are also prominent, Louisiana’s reputation as Sportsman’s Paradise is on full display on the Northshore. Plus, with our warm climate, most outdoor activities can be enjoyed all year long. Fishing enthusiasts are in their glory as they pursue freshwater largemouth bass, bluegill, and crappie along with saltwater faves like speckled trout, redfish, flounder, tarpon, and more. Plus, you don’t have to go far offshore to catch your limit and there are more than a dozen charter captains launching out of Slidell. If deer, squirrel, or rabbit hunting is also in your repertoire, the many forested areas provide ample opportunities for those pursuits.
Get Sporty!
The Northshore showcases an array of modern sports complexes featuring traditional sports for kids and adults like soccer, football, flag football, basketball, baseball, softball, tennis and more. The area also features a volleyball complex with two indoor hard courts and six outdoor sand courts, as well as another complex with indoor, climate-controlled pickleball courts. Want more? Keep an eye open for saltwater fishing tournaments and dragon boat races during the year. And if you enjoy cheering on college or professional sports, New Orleans is about an hour away so you can root for The Saints or Pelicans, or teams at Tulane or The University of New Orleans. There’s even a Major League Rugby team, the NOLA Gold.
Be an Explorer
Just in St. Tammany Parish alone, over 80,000 acres have been set aside as wildlife refuge areas where people are welcomed to trek the hiking trails, walk the boardwalks, or play on the playgrounds. Campgrounds like Fairview Riverside and Fontainebleau are two pristine state parks that offer both RV and tent camping, hiking, fishing, and access to waterways for canoeing and kayaking. Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge boasts 15,000 acres of pine flatwoods and coastal marsh with a diverse habitat that features nature trails and outdoor recreational facilities, and is home to hundreds of bird species, including the rare red-cockaded woodpecker, bald eagles, and wading birds. To literally get out into the bayou, visit one of several eco-tour operators from Slidell that traverse Honey Island Swamp. Looking for some non-native wildlife encounters? Check out the Global Wildlife Center in Folsom—a 900-acre free roaming safari park with animals from all over the world like camels, giraffes, zebras, kangaroos, deer, bison, and more.
By Water or By Land
As mentioned, there is water everywhere on the Northshore along with plenty of ways to enjoy it—rivers for tubing and canoeing, lakes for paddleboarding and kayaking, and you can even set sail on Lake Pontchartrain. One of the Northshore’s crowning gems is the beautiful Tammany Trace, a 31-mile paved path through towns and green spaces. Hardcore cyclists and leisure riders alike enjoy The Trace, which winds through St. Tammany Parish and connects the towns of Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, Lacombe, and Slidell. Bring your own bike or rent one and ride as far as you like.
From water to woods and sports to sport fishing, the beautiful Northshore and its outdoor activities are waiting to be explored.