Bayou Coquille (Jefferson Parish, Louisiana)

 

For my second adventure into the swamps of New Orleans, I head a few miles south of the city and into Bayou Coquille, which is part of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. The trail starts at a visitor center and is mostly a boardwalk on stilts as it passes through the wet and wild bayou. 

As I proceed through, encounter a number of fearless squirrels acrobatically bounding from one plant to the next. The seem to be immune to my presence. The landscape is amazingly lush and marshy. I attentively watch for gators on either side of the boardwalk, but I don't see one until nearly the end of the first section of the trail. The one that I do find is lying immediately next to the boardwalk. He's probably about a meter long from head to tail and while I'm within a couple of feet of him, he seems completely unshaped by my presence. To clarify, I didn't purposely approach that close to him, but his dark skin camouflages him well against the murky waters and I didn't notice him until I was already that close.

From there, the trail leaves the board walk and follows a double track along a overgrown canal. The water surface is obscured by a thick layer of plant life. I'd love to wade out into the muck, but knowing the number of snakes and alligators that are in these waters, I decide this would probably be a really bad idea and opt to stay on dry land as much as possible.

Just a bit down the trail, I take a small side trail that leads to the Monarch of the Swamp, which is a large old baldcypress tree rising high out of the swamp. An information sign indicates this tree was spared by loggers in decades past for unknown reasons. Apparently these types of trees are extremely resistant to rot and were prized by settlers of this region for canoes and other water-related purposes.

Beyond this area, I encounter a family and together, we admire another small alligator who has decided to sun himself just next to the trail in a nice grassy area. Just a bit further, I discover the trail is temporarily closed. A barricade has been installed across a small bridge and a sign indicates the closure. Below the bridge though, I see a number of alligators. One of them appears to be eating something, while another is simply sunning himself. A third one, in the distance, lazily rests on a large bank alongside the marshy canal.

I'm a bit disappointed that I can't continue further, but wanting to respect the preserve, I turn back and head for the rental car. My sightings are not yet complete yet. As I reach a turn, a couple I passed early, points out yet another alligator on the far bank of the canal. He seems to be pretty active as opposed to the other specimens I've seen. This has been pretty exciting, as seeing a few alligators in the wild was one of my primary goals for this hike. In total, I've encountered five different gators along this trail.

Alligators are not the end of it though. As I return to the first section of the trail, I find a small brown snake resting on top of a palm frond. He doesn't seem to mind me too terribly much as I snap a few pictures of him. He's gorgeous.

Finally, returning to the car, I find I've walked about 3.9 miles. Had the trail been fully accessible, I would have added another mile or so, but I got to see a few gators, which more than satisfies my appetite for adventure.