Located near the town of St. Francisville, Louisiana, 30 miles north of Baton Rouge, Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge conserves some of the region's last naturally functioning bottomland hardwood forest habitat. The Mississippi River carved this unique landscape of ridges and swales, cypress-tupelo swamps, meandering drains and backwater sloughs. These features coupled with annual flooding provide highly productive habitat for diverse fish and wildlife including backwater fisheries, migratory songbirds, wintering waterfowl, Louisiana black bear, and other resident wildlife.
Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge Partially Open to the Blue Goose Trail

Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge will partially open on Friday, May. 5, 2023. 

Water levels on the Mississippi River have receded to a suitable level for opening parts of the refuge, and Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge will be partially opened on Friday May 5, 2023 to the Blue Goose Trail. A partial opening is required to protect visitors and refuge resources. All activities beyond the blue goose trail and parking area will remain closed until conditions are suitable for public access. The only access to the refuge continues to be by way of Creek Road.

Water levels are projected to continue to fall for the remainder of May and June. Visitation and established fishing seasons will resume beyond the blue goose trail and parking area when conditions are favorable.

The refuge is located along a large bend in the Mississippi River and is periodically flooded by the Mississippi. The refuge may remain flooded for several months of the year, with flooding typically starting in December and ending by June. When river levels rise or are expected to rise, refuge access may be limited or closed due to flooding or threat of flooding.

River levels on the Baton Rouge tide gauge can be checked at this link or through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at 301/427-9855.   

 

Visit Us

Visitors enjoy fishing, hunting, hiking, paddling, wildlife viewing, and wildlife photography and observation. The refuge is home to a national champion bald cypress, one of the largest tree of any species east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Estimated to be about 1,500 years old, the tree is 96 feet tall, 17 feet in diameter and 56 feet in circumference. 

Hunting

Fishing

Trails

Boating

 

Location and Contact Information

      About Us

      Cat Island is located near the town of St. Francisville, Louisiana, 30 miles north of Baton Rouge. The refuge was established to conserve, restore, and manage native forested wetland habitats for migratory birds, aquatic resources and endangered and threatened plants and animals. 

      What We Do

      Wildlife conservation is at the heart of the National Wildlife Refuge System. It drives everything on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands and waters managed within the Refuge System, from the purposes for which a national wildlife refuge national wildlife refuge
      A national wildlife refuge is typically a contiguous area of land and water managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service  for the conservation and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.

      Learn more about national wildlife refuge       is established, to the recreational activities offered, to the resource management tools used. Using conservation best practices, the Refuge System manages Service lands and waters to help ensure the survival of native wildlife species.   

      Our Species