Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge - Bayou Lacombe Unit — Attraction in Lacombe

This place is an asset to the region. The refuge stretches from just outside of Mandeville east to Slidell. Lots of areas to explore. There's hunting and fishing available here which is great for those in the area. Even if you don't hunt or fish, this refuge is perfect for getting out into the fresh air and enjoying nature. Boy Scout Road has an elevated boardwalk with several informational signs along the way. Easily walkable in about 15 minutes or so. If you're looking for a longer hike, take the limestone path that ends at Bayou Lacombe. It's about 4 miles round trip. Bring insect repellant just in case. Mosquitoes and horse flies can be pretty brutal during certain times of the year. There's an area of the refuge located on Lemieux Blvd, just east of Fontainebleau State Park. It has a short (about 1/2 mile) trail there that features an elevated platform overlooking the marsh. There's also a small pavilion with a couple of tables there as well. The restroom building there has never been unlocked when I visit. This is a national wildlife refuge, not a state owned refuge. No permits or licenses needed to be on this property, unlike the Louisiana state owned refuges or wildlife...

Big Branch is a very nice wildlife managment area. I've hunted out there but I'd like to spend more time just exploring. I've heard bird watching is great. Maybe go out in the kayak, sounds like a great lazy afternoon. It's a pretty sizeable area in st. tammany that is mostly located in lacombe and it seems to run slidell. Whenever I got out in the boat off carr drive in slidell google picks up my location as big branch, not sure that entire area is big branch because I don't believe you can actually run boats in the managment area but I could be wrong. I just know when I've gone duck hunting we used a boat to get to a certain point of lake road then we jumped it pirogues for the rest of the way to the wma. Check out your local wma's and state parks, particularly...

Not a lot of trails so far as hiking is concerned but what there is, is very nice. This is however the best place to go to learn about the history of the wildlife and parks in this region, as they have a couple of REALLY nice set ups with interactive videos and maps, some really nice fly over footage of the bayous taken from a helicopter, and a lot of really nice displays. Very friendly staff as well. The ladies at the entrance were very polite in helping us understand how to get in and where to go, and the woman at the counter at the visitor's center was so polite and friendly my wife and I spent just as long chatting with her about the area and such as we did walking around...