My top 5 BREC Parks
As some of you may, or may not, know, I am based in Baton Rouge. Long hours on the job means, I can't often get away for long out of town hikes. Lucky for me Baton Rouge offers a decent park/trail program. BREC (Baton Rouge Recreation and Environmental Commission) boasts over 175 parks throughout Baton Rouge. Here are a few of my favorites!
Frenchtown Road Conservation Area
I love this trail because it feels like you are just out in the woods away from the hustle of work, and in fact you are. Frenchtown Road lies on the outskirts of Baton Rouge Parish so you won’t hear the ambience of traffic noise. The main trail is 3.5 miles but you can also go to the “beach” part of the area which adds an additional mile round trip. This trail is kind of remote, so it doesn't have restrooms facilities.
Kendalwood Road Park
Kendalwood is another trail that feels like it's just you and nature. This trail consists of two loops. The smaller loop is about 1.5 miles and the large loop is about 2.5 miles. I enjoy the larger loop because it runs alongside a river. One important note is that this trail does not have any restrooms, so be prepared.
Bayou Manchac Park
Bayou Manchac park recently received a facelift! This park now has a kayak boat launch that I look forward to trying out. The trail is well maintained and the main loop is roughly a mile. There is very little to no elevation changes but can be muddy and slick after it rains. Bayou Manchac is a park, so it also has a playground, basketball, and tennis courts in case you want to play some after your hike!
Sandy Creek Community Park
Sandy Creek community Park does indeed have a sandy creek but that's not why it made the list. This park offers one main trail that is around 3 miles but it also has 3 shortcut trails. This means if you just want to pop in and take a small loop, you can, or if you want to stack up on the mileage you can take all the loops to really get some time out in nature. Also this is a great spot to see different wildlife! Parking is not the best (it was under construction when we went) so try to get there early!
Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center
This is a wonderful short trail right in the middle of the city. Most of the trail is a boardwalk through the wetlands. The trail is only about one mile in total but offers several loops to fully explore everything. There is little to no elevation change and everything is routinely maintained to be very kid friendly. This trail does need an entry fee to help maintain the nature center, which routinely hosts different events so there is always something to see!
