It’s time to dust off those tennis shoes and do some exploring! There are several trails in and around New Orleans, but few with as amazing scenery as these. Here are our favorite picks for some of the hands-down best hikes in New Orleans for anyone who loves incredible scenery, though it’s not like Louisiana offers up anything else. Check them out! 

1. Bottomland Trail at the Woodlands Conservancy
449 F Edward Hebert Blvd, Belle Chasse, LA 70037, USA
Woodlands Conservancy/Facebook
Located in Belle Chasse, the Woodlands Conservancy is a 630-acre bottomland hardwood forest with 12 miles of public hiking and equestrian trails. The unique part of this trail is the set of historical WWII-era ammunition magazines at the end of the Bottomland Trail. History lovers will love getting to explore these fascinating pieces of history tucked away among the trees. It's a hiking trail in New Orleans for history buffs!
2. Woldenberg Riverfront Park
1 Canal St, New Orleans, LA 70130, USA
Skeney57/TripAdvisor
A stroll along the Woldenberg Riverfront Park is always a good idea. Not only are the views of the Mississippi River spectacular, but there are also 16 acres of sprawling green space stretching between the river and the French Quarter so you can bring a blanket and relax.

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3. Barataria Preserve
6588 Barataria Blvd, Marrero, LA 70072, USA
Jackie Ann/Flickr
From the swamps to the bayous, the trails at Barataria Preserve will lead you through these wetlands and gives visitors the opportunity to see scores of wildlife. The trails aren’t very long, so you can mix and match depending on how much time you have, and each trail offers some beautiful scenery. This epic swamp hike in New Orleans is a can't-miss.
4. Couturie Forest
1009 Harrison Ave, New Orleans, LA 70124, USA
Kimberly Navarrete/AllTrails
This 1-mile long loop trail is quick and easy and will lead you through the 60-acre forest and peaks with lovely views of the waterways that wind around City Park. This is an otherworldly place in New Orleans you will be positively enchanted by.
5. Bonnet Carre Spillway Trail
Lower Guide Levee Road, Lower Guide Levee Rd, Norco, LA, USA
Robert Lee/AllTrails
The Spillway Trail is approximately 5 miles long and easy to hike or bike year round. You’re sure to see tons of wildlife and wildflowers along the way, as well as views of the water. This hiking trail in New Orleans is a beautiful one you won't soon forget.

How many of these trails have you explored? Which trails in New Orleans would you call the best hikes in New Orleans? Let us know in the comments – we love hearing from you!

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More to Explore

Best Hikes in New Orleans

Tori Jane | April 14, 2022

What are some of the best scenic hikes around New Orleans?  

New Orleans – and all of Louisiana, really – is a stunningly beautiful, truly unique place with landscapes that feel like something from another world. We could theoretically argue that just about every hike around New Orleans is a scenic hike around New Orleans, but we do happen to have a few favorites that we tend to do over and over without regrets. For example, if you’ve never hiked the breathtaking trails at Jean Lafitte National Park, you haven’t yet lived. There are covered boardwalks all over the park, where you can get a firsthand look at the beauty of Louisiana’s unique swamps and wetland forests. Another stunning hike in the New Orleans area is the Ridge Trail Boardwalk at the 23,000-acre refuge that is the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge. Check that one out if you love the trails at Jean Lafitte!  

What are the most popular easy hikes in New Orleans? 

We love us some easy hikes, especially on days when we’d like to get out and enjoy nature but don’t really feel up to breaking a major sweat. Luckily for us, most hikes in and around New Orleans are pretty easy; it’s not as if Louisiana is the most mountainous place! Some of the most beloved and heavily traveled easy hikes in and near New Orleans include gems like the Audubon Park Loop, at Audubon Park. It’s 1.9 miles long and can be found in historic uptown. While you’re in the area, you can’t miss a trek along the famed French Quarter River Walk at Woldenburg Riverfront Park; it’s 1.3 miles of lovely riverfront walking that’s sure to please everyone from hikers to bikers and dog walkers and everyone in between. We also love the Couturie Forest hike at City Park, which is 1.1 miles long and filled with old native trees. It’s a treat, much like, well, pretty much EVERY trail in New Orleans!  

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