A Walk in the Park - Camp Salmen Nature Park

Slidell Louisiana welcomes a new Nature Park to its list of areas preserved for enjoyment of young and old. Located on the beautiful Bayou Liberty, the park has over six miles of walking trails, boardwalks and scenic overlooks.

This property once housed a prosperous brick factory that served New Orleans. One of the earliest buildings of the area still stand on this property, built in the early 1800's this old Creole French building served and a major trading post of the Bayou Liberty area for over a century and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. When the factory closed, the owners donated some of the land to the Scouts. An enduring scout culture–one which developed from the collective experiences of tens of thousands of young scouts–endures in the shadows of this building, nicknamed Salmen Lodge by the scouts.
The property is a rich ecological endowment of native landscapes and an unusually diverse community of plants and animals, which make the Camp Salmen Nature Park a living museum. http://www.campsalmennaturepark.org/
When visiting Camp Salmen Nature Park, choose a night or two at Woodridge Bed and Breakfast www.woodridgebb.com which also is surrounded by two wildlife refuges: Bogue Chitta National Wildlife Refuge and Honey Island State Wildlife Refuge

Take a Hike or Bike - Tammany Trace

Take a hike, in St. Tammany that is! The Tammany Trace is a 27 mile trail once was home to the railroad and travels from Slidell to Covington through woods, wetlands and small towns in between. In the 1800's the rail system brought New Orleans elite to the northshore to escape the harsh summer heat, as you hike along this trail you will spot many summer estates surrounded by moss covered live oaks. Each little town beckons visitors to sample a taste of their town while on your route, from Lacombe, Mandeville, and through Abita Springs each providing their own native twist to the northshore area.

Woodridge Bed and Breakfast is about a 10 minute drive to the Slidell trail-head parking and rest area. Additional parking is found at the Mandeville trail-head, and in Abita Springs.