Fontainebleau State Park Trails Hiking Guide
Fontainebleau State Park fills 2,800 acres on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain at Mandeville, bordered by the lake, Bayou Cane and Bayou Castine. Its trail system strings a woods loop, a bayou spur, a marsh boardwalk and a live oak alley into one easy half-day walk. It is the most complete hike within a short drive of New Orleans, and the 1829 sugar mill ruins sit right at the start.
Permit: Louisiana State Parks entrance fee: $3 per person; free for seniors 62 and older and children 3 and under.
Distance and Route
Hiking Project's recommended route through the park is a 5.7-mile lollipop with about 35 feet of total climbing; it combines the 2.3-mile Fountainbleau Hiking Trail Loop, the half-mile Bayou Cane Hiking Trail and the 1.2-mile Sugar Mill Nature Trail. The park itself lists a 4.8-mile hiking trail and a nature trail of about 1.25 miles. Start on the gravel path across from the visitor center and sugar mill, bear left at the first split for the woods loop and Bayou Cane overlook, then come back for the Sugar Mill trail, the boardwalk spur and the oaks.
The Marsh Boardwalk and Wildlife
The Alligator Marsh Boardwalk branches off the Sugar Mill Nature Trail over open marsh, where the route's mapper saw ducks, alligators and catfish and warned of missing boards, so watch your step. The park says more than 400 species of birds and other animals live in and around Fontainebleau, and interpretive signs along the nature trail name the common trees and shrubs. Deer, wild hogs and rabbits use the woods. Cyclists share the gravel sections, and the Tammany Trace rail trail runs through the park.
Fee, Hours and Dogs
Admission is $3 per person, free for seniors 62 and older and for children 3 and under. The gate opens at 7 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m. daily; the entrance station is staffed 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 8 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and days before holidays. Older trail listings give a $2 fee and a 6 a.m. opening, which the park no longer posts. State park rules allow dogs on a leash of 6 feet or less, but not inside buildings or near the swimming areas.
History Underfoot
The brick ruins near the trailhead belong to a sugar mill Bernard de Marigny de Mandeville built in 1829; he ran the land as a sugar plantation until 1852 and named it after the royal forest near Paris. Markers in the park note where cabins for enslaved workers stood and remember the Native people who lived here before European settlement. The state bought the land for a park in 1938, according to the Hiking Project history.
When to Go
The Park Service warns that south Louisiana heat and humidity are serious summer hazards, so cooler months suit this walk; the route's mapper lists migrating wood warblers, pine warblers and brown-headed nuthatches among the birds. The park runs a guided hike on the first Saturday of the month; check its events page for the next one. The Northlake Nature Center sits across U.S. 190 if you want a second walk the same day.
Hiking tips for Fontainebleau State Park Trails
- Carry exact cash or a card for the $3 per person entry.
- Watch for missing boards on the Alligator Marsh Boardwalk.
- Keep dogs on a 6-foot leash and away from the beach.
- Yield to cyclists on the gravel Sugar Mill trail.
- Be back at your car before the 9 p.m. gate close.
Nearby trails to explore
- Boy Scout Road Trail (Big Branch Marsh)
- Twin Canals Trail (Barataria Preserve)
- Gorge Run Trail (Bogue Chitto State Park)
Hike this trail with TrailMates
Fontainebleau is an easy group hike with a picnic at the end. Post it on TrailMates, pick the sugar mill trailhead as the meeting spot in the event's group chat, and walk the north shore with people from across the New Orleans area. Download TrailMates on the App Store or Google Play.