North Shore: Tammany Trace, Lake Pontchartrain & Fontainebleau State Park

The Tammany Trace is a 31-mile paved rail-trail built on the bed of the Illinois Central Railroad's North Shore line, which carried New Orleans residents across the Causeway to the piney-woods resort communities of St. Tammany Parish from the 1880s through the 1950s. The trail runs from Abita Springs through Mandeville, Lacombe, Covington, and Slidell, passing through longleaf pine forest, Spanish moss–draped live oak groves, and several small bayou crossings. The Mandeville trailhead on the Lake Pontchartrain waterfront is the most scenic starting point; bike rentals are available from Abita Adventure Park and several shops in Mandeville. The flat terrain and 10-foot paved surface make this accessible to all fitness levels.

Fontainebleau State Park occupies 2,800 acres on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain near Mandeville, encompassing a long stretch of sandy lakeshore beach, a thick stand of live oaks, and the remarkable ruins of the Bernard de Marigny plantation of 1829 — the sugar grinding mill's brick chimney and walls still stand amid the trees, visible from the ruins trail that loops through the east section of the park. Bernard de Marigny was one of the most colorful figures in antebellum Louisiana: a Creole aristocrat who introduced the game of craps to America, squandered a vast inheritance, and sold off his New Orleans faubourg piece by piece to pay his debts. The lakefront beach is one of the most accessible on Lake Pontchartrain and the park has a canoe and kayak launch into the lake.

Picnic tables along the Lake Pontchartrain shore with views across 24 miles of open water to the New Orleans skyline on clear days. Pack provisions from Rouses Market in Mandeville or the Lakeview Grocery in Mandeville before entering the park.

The Lake Pontchartrain kayak launch inside Fontainebleau State Park offers access to one of the largest estuarine lakes in North America — 630 square miles of brackish water that connects to the Gulf of Mexico via Lake Borgne and the Rigolets pass. The park shoreline paddle along the live-oak-fringed beach offers views of the ruins and the long, low horizon of the open lake. Bring your own kayak or rent from local outfitters in Mandeville and Madisonville; the calm water and relatively protected shoreline make this suitable for paddlers of moderate skill.