Facility Activities

Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge is rich in wildlife and in recreation opportunities. It is a popular place to enjoy fishing, crabbing, hiking, paddling, bird watching, nature photography, youth waterfowl hunting, self-guided tours, and interpretive and educational programs. Visitors are welcome on the refuge seven days a week, during daylight hours, The refuge is closed at night.

Hunting

Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge contains the only public hunting lands in Orleans Parish. Hunting on Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge is limited to youth waterfowl hunting. Hunting opportunities include ducks, coots, mergansers, teal...

Fishing

There are great opportunities for fishing and crabbing. Freshwater lagoons, bayous and ponds are home to largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, catfish and crawfish. The marshes along Lakes Pontchartrain and Borgne are estuarine nurseries for several saltwater species, including flounder, red fish...

Birding

Bayou Sauvage's marshes and waterways provide food and shelter for over 340 species of birds. From pelicans to phalaropes, buntings to buffleheads, there are always birds to see and hear on the refuge. The refuge's habitats — bottomland hardwood forest, freshwater and...

Boating - non-motorized
Paddling the Refuge 

Bayou Sauvage NWR waterways are accessible from two public launch sites on the Refuge.

The Hwy 11 Boat Launch provides access to canals and shallow interior lakes. It is located on the west side of Hwy 11, approximately 2.5 miles south of...

Hiking
The Ridge Trail

This site has restrooms and a picnic pavilion, and is the most popular access point on the refuge. A 2/3 mile-long interpretive boardwalk loop trail provides views of bottomland hardwood forest and marsh habitats. The Ridge Trail is located on US 90 two miles west of the US 11...