The Wolf River offers near-pristine paddling for more than half its length. The stream begins west of Lumberton but doesn’t become navigable until the Silver Run community southeast of Poplarville and it eventually empties into St. Louis Bay. Its character changes several times making it fascinating to explore. On this stretch, small sandbars grow bigger and the thick forested background provides a quiet getaway. A privately owned primitive campsite on Cemetery Road is available on this route.

The Jourdan River is scarcely a river at all, more of an estuary of St. Louis Bay with virtually no current. McLeod Water Park is the highest public access point on the river, yet even here the Jourdan is wide and deep enough for large motorboats. By paddling and exploring upstream you can escape the motorboat traffic, find the best scenery on the river, and have the opportunity to explore many narrow side passages and oxbow lakes. You will find quiet, lonely waters ringed by gorgeous thick forest, an abundance of birdlife from ospreys to blue herons, and lots of other wildlife and woodland creatures. The river rises and falls with the tide.

The Pearl River forms the border between Louisiana and Mississippi and offers some scenic paddling, especially the section that runs through the Pearl River Wildlife Management Area. The river widens as it enters Louisiana and splits into multiple channels. This section of river starts at Davis Landing on the most western river channel and follows the river south through swamp and marsh terrain to the take-out at Indian Village. The area is very rugged and full of wildlife, including gators.

The Bogue Chitto is a calm and scenic river that starts in Mississippi and flows south into Louisiana providing paddlers miles of river for exploration. The Bogue Chitto runs through mostly wooded terrain that offers nice scenery and wildlife viewing opportunity. The river is popular for floating and is serviced by multiple rental companies. This section of the river starts at Highway 21 north of Bush and runs northeast to the take-out at Lock 3 where there is an easily accessible launch site.

The Barataria Preserve is one of six sites that make up the interesting and scenic Jean Lafitte National Historic Park. The preserve offers paddlers lots of opportunity for recreation including multiple waterways to explore in the area of wild Louisiana wetlands. This paddling trip starts at the Pecan Grove launch and follows Bayou des Families and Bayou Coquille to the confluence with the Pipeline Canal. Water levels in the preserve as well as aquatic vegetation can effect paddling conditions so be sure to check with the park service before launching in the area.

The lagoons in New Orleans City Park are a great option for those looking for a fun and scenic urban paddle. The area offers some great natural scenery and birdwatching opportunity. Paddling the lagoons in a loop will require a few short portages but smaller sections can be paddled without portaging. The lagoons surround the large park that is home to lots of open green space and park amenities including ball fields, hiking trails, and picnic areas.

Manchac is a large lake swamp located northwest of New Orleans that provides lots of paddling destinations on its multiple lakes, rivers, and bayous. North Pass is a calm and easily accessible waterway located just south of the Joyce Wildlife Management Area that offers some nice scenery and wildlife viewing opportunity. Paddlers can explore the main waterway or venture off on the many sloughs and channels that spread through the area.

Bogue Falaya is a tributary of the Tchefuncte River and is a fun paddling destination located in the heart of suburban development in southeastern Louisiana. This trip starts at Bogue Falaya Wayside Park in Covington and flows south towards the convergence with Tchefuncte River. The park is only open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. so use an alternate put-in if launching before or after this timeframe. The trip can be done as an out-and-back trip or paddlers can continue downstream to one of the multiple access sites on the Tchefuncte.

This one-way downriver paddling trip follows the Bogue Falaya and Tchefuncte Rivers south of Covington to the mouth of Lake Pontchartrain. The scenery along the way is a mix of both residential development and undeveloped wooded terrain. The river is easy to paddle with minimal current and multiple access points. As the rivers nears the lake the terrain becomes much more swampy, providing paddlers with some additional waters that can be explored.

This paddling trip starts from the Water Street launch on Bogue Falaya and travels south to the convergence with the Tchefuncte River. From this point paddlers can head up the Tchefuncte River and explore the scenic waterway for a few miles. The scenery includes some residential development mixed with lots of wooded shoreline.