Boy Scout Road

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Lake · River/Creek · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

This flat route leads through distinct Florida habitats including marsh, pine, and old growth oak

These trails flood quickly. Be prepared for several inches of water on the trails if you enjoy rainy-day outings.

Beginning at the parking lot, take the boardwalk through the marsh enjoying the informational plaques. Once you exit the boardwalk, turn right and continue down the path until you hit the woods. There is an optional detour to the left, but the main path can be followed by turning right. This dirt-road style path is easy to follow. It will bend to the left and continue until you reach the marsh with a viewing platform. You can continue to the right to find two paths. The path to the left will take you down to another view of the water, while the detour to the right eventually faded away.

It is comprised of over 18,000 acres of offshore grass beds, marshes, hardwood hammocks and pine ridges. With a variety of habitat on the refuge, shorebirds, wading birds, neotropical songbird migrants and a host of year-round resident waterfowl can be found here. Deer, rabbit, mink, otter, raccoon, muskrat, and nutria all make their home here, and the marshes provide critical spawning and nursery habitat for a number of fresh and saltwater species.

Big Branch Marsh NWR is one of eight refuges managed as part of the Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife Refuges Complex. These area wetlands were once threatened by urban expansion from the city of New Orleans. To read more about the history of the refuge, visit the park's website.