The Creole Nature Trail, or the Louisiana Outback, is a U-shaped route that runs southeast and southwest of Lake Charles, not far from the Texas border, with horizons of untouched marshlands, bayous, beaches, and wildlife refuges.
Lake Charles is your base: a small city with miles of shoreline along the Calcasieu River, and gorgeous architecture from the 19th century throughout its historic district. Lake Charles calls itself āthe festival capital of Louisiana,ā as it holds more than 75 each yearānone stranger than the Louisiana Pirate Festival, which begins with buccaneers sailing down the Calcasieu River, canons blazing, before ācapturingā the mayor and making him walk the plank.
The Creole Trail kicks off just west of Lake Charles, along Highway 27, and winds south toward the Gulf of Mexico. You don'tā¦
