Trails
The Ridge Trail
This ½ mile long looped interpretive boardwalk trail winds through a forest and wetland area with views of the historic Bayou Sauvage waterway and an overlook of a marsh. The forest along this trail was heavily impacted by hurricanes and volunteers are restoring it by planting native trees and Louisiana iris. Interpretive signs tell the story of this restoration and feature natural history. This site has restrooms and a picnic pavilion. Take a virtual Google Earth tour of the Ridge Trail Interpretive Boardwalk trail
From Slidell: Take I-10 west. At the end of the I-10 twin span bridge over Lake Ponchartrain, take Irish Bayou #254/Hwy 11 exit. Turn left onto Highway 11. (The Refuge is on both sides of Highway 11 once you pass through the hurricane protection levee). At the Hwy 11 and Hwy 90/Chef Menteur Hwy intersection turn right and travel two miles to reach the Ridge Trail entrance on the right.
From New Orleans: Take I-10 east to exit #246A (Chalmette, I-510); go about 2 miles south on I-510 to Highway 90 East exit; turn left onto Hwy 90, and go approximately 4 miles to reach the Ridge Trail access on the left.
Joe Madere Marsh
You'll find a canoe launch, a picnic pavilion, and a short boardwalk that leads to a marsh overlook. This is a good place to look for shorebirds, alligators, and waterfowl. The waterway is silted in, most times of year paddling is no longer possible here. Take a virtual Google Earth tour of the Joe Madere site
GPS coordinates: 30° 3’ 13” N 89° 52’ 35” W
From Slidell: Take I-10 west. At the end of the I-10 twin span bridge over Lake Ponchartrain, take Irish Bayou #254/Hwy 11 exit. Turn left onto Highway 11. (The Refuge is on both sides of Highway 11 once you pass through the hurricane protection levee). At the Hwy 11 and Hwy 90/Chef Menteur Hwy intersection turn right and travel 1.7 miles to reach the entrance on the left.
From New Orleans: Take I-10 east to exit #246A (Chalmette, I-510); go about 2 miles south on I-510 to Highway 90 East exit; turn left onto Hwy 90, and go approximately 4.3 miles to reach entrance on your right.
Crabbing Bridge Road
This popular fishing and crabbing area is located at the south end of the old Hwy 11 bridge over Lake Ponchartrain. An unpaved 1.4 mile dirt road leads to a closed-to-traffic bridge over Little Irish Bayou. GPS coordinates: 30° 9’ 14.50” N 89° 51’ 25.9” W
From Slidell: Take I-10 west. At the end of the I-10 twin span bridge over Lake Ponchartrain, take Irish Bayou #254/Hwy 11 exit. Carefully turn left to access the frontage road that runs between the lake and the westbound interstate ramp. Follow this dirt road 1.4 miles to reach the old bridge over Irish Bayou.
From New Orleans: Take I-10 east to the Irish Bayou/Hwy 11 exit. Turn left onto Hwy 11 and follow Hwy 11 across the I-10 overpass. Carefully turn left to access the frontage road that runs between the lake and the westbound interstate ramp. Follow this dirt road 1.4 miles to reach the old bridge over Irish Bayou.
Hwy 11 Boat Launch
This launch with a small fishing pier provides access to a canal leading to Lake Maisson and Lake Antoine. GPS coordinates: 30° 7’ 7” N 89° 52’ 00” W
From Slidell: Take I-10 west. At the end of the I-10 twin span bridge over Lake Ponchartrain, take Irish Bayou #254/Hwy 11 exit. Travel approximately 2.5 miles south on Hwy 11 to reach boat launch on the right.
From New Orleans: Take I-10 east to exit #246A (Chalmette, I-510); go about 2 miles south on I-510 to Highway 90 East exit; turn left onto Hwy 90, following it to the Hwy 11 intersection. Turn left from Hwy 90 onto Hwy 11 and travel 3 miles to reach the boat launch on the left.