tammany trace

We walked 6 miles on the Trace from Mandeville Trailhead to Fontainebleau Park. It was lovely, peaceful, flat, paved, easy and relaxing. It would certainly be fabulous to bike it. The trees with Spanish moss, the homes on stilt, and the swamp are interesting features for Northerners like us. But, I have to say that for walking, I recommend go to the Lake Pontchartrain park just a few blocks away. It's flat, paved, and all along the sparking lake with NOLA in the distance, beyond the causeway. Two outstanding places to walk, run, or bike within minutes of each other. Bravo Mandeville! great restaurants and a fun farmers market, too.

This was our second time to cycle this trail. It was pretty deserted this time of year. Great. No traffic to contend with.

I work close to the Trace in several different locations throughout the parish. I am always attracted to everything that it offers to everyone. You can run, walk, ride bikes, ride horses, exercise, find peace, spend time with the family, stroll the baby, bird watch, photograph changing seasons and colorful leaves. You can witness so much that it can fill your heart with spledor.

Great outdoor activity while ebbing close to New Orleans on business. I did the entire trail in one day, but in the winter it could be all the sun light hours. The trail is flat and well maintained, nice signage and milage charts. It would be good if they had mileage markers and maybe showing places to see to eat at each cross road. Just a nice ride and glad I made the effort.

The Blue Dat Festival and the Abita Water Festival were on the same weekend on back to back days. (Saturday and Sunday)Great weekend to visit.

This is, by far, the best biking trail we've found in this part of the country! It's 100% paved and in great condition. Since it's one of the Rails to Trails paths, the terrain is level, of course. We started at the northern most end - the Covington trailhead and road all the way to Mandeville and back. In Mandeville, we ventured off the path and road down to the Lake Ponchatrain lake front and park before heading back to Covington. It's probably about a 25 mile round trip without the side trip to the lake, but it was a beautiful day for biking. The trail is mostly shaded with a few areas of no shade. You'll cross several streets along the way, but there are only 2 that are truly busy streets. Everyone at every crossing was courteous and gave us the right of way, whether they had to or not. The trail is also patrolled. No motor vehicles are allowed, so you'll only see pedestrians and bicyclists. We had hoped to travel the southern end the following day, but were unable to do so. If you rode the entire trail, it would be about 30 miles one way.

You really get a tour of the northshore along this 30 mile trail from slidell, lacombe, mandeville, abita springs, and covington. It is really nice and peaceful being in the woods, yet being close enough to 190 and to have many places stop and get drinks and snacks. Lots of places to access the trail, and it is patrolled so it's safe. Also there are lights at intersections to warn of oncoming traffic. I appreciate St. Tammany Parish for having and maintaining it.

I am in love with the trace. Easy biking trail. Security patrols the trace often. Ride, walk, skate at your own pace. Super relaxing.

Open only during day light hours. Be careful on a couple of the major road intersections. But for the most part this is a REALLY safe area to ride bikes. We split it into 3 different sections to get used to the different sections of the Trace over the last year. Good rest/start points that are definately safe for parking in include Mandeville Trailhead, Pelican Park and Mandeville Caboose Kids Konnection Playground.***I also learned from a relative that you need to be aware that if you are riding your bike by yourself and experience a bike wreck, the mini-trucks that patrol/monitor the Trace aren't allowed to help shuttle you and a wrecked bike back to your vehicle. You have to rely on good samaritans on the Trace to help you. And yes, you will find the other bicyclists are friendly and will come to your aid.***

I've ridden the trace hundreds of times. It great for exercise and recreational use. Many cool stops along the way. Definitely the gem of the northshore. If you need to rent a bike from the Covington trail head check out Brooks' bike shop 416 e Gibson st Covington la (985)237-3658

My husband and I are life long residents of Louisiana, but we continue to be amazed at the beautiful and fun things to see and do right in our own backyard! We love to ride bikes and were told by others to try the Tammany Trace. It runs about 35 miles and consists of all paved, scenic bike trail. Swamps, bridges, and a mostly shaded, tree lined, easy path make it great for all ages and levels of bikers, walkers and joggers. There are trail heads along the way for bathroom stops, parks, etc. What I really liked about it was a the map on their webpage showing exactly how many miles it was between each little town and trail head stop. This makes it great for those who only want to ride a few miles or for other more adventurous souls who want to bike the whole way. My husband and I decided to ride the 9 miles between Abita Springs and Mandeville so we could have lunch in Mandeville, rest a bit and head back. So round trip it was about 18 miles, but with such an easy, flat trail it wasn't too much for me. (I'm no spring chicken!) We took our time and enjoyed the peace, quiet and beauty along the way. Others on here have good reviews of the museum and restaurant at Abita Springs, which is by the way, the home of Abita beer! As we say in Louisiana, "Laissez les bons temps rouler!" (Let the good times roll!)

I have biked the Tammany Trace at least five times. Each time was wonderful. I think it starts in Covington, Louisiana and ends in Slidell. But you can pick it up at any little village or even intersection between those two spots. This is a great family activity in the fall or early spring.From New Orleans, I drive to Mandeville, which is right across the causeway. I go to the Mandeville Trailhead. I can't remember if the directions are clearly marked on the way there, so bring a map or some directions. In Mandeville, I get on the bike and ride to Abita Springs. It's about 10 miles, and there are many maps and signs. There is a major trailhead about half way through. And you can get water and use the bathroom. There are not fountains or facilities outside of marked areas. In Abita Springs, you can stop and have a great lunch or dinner at the Abita Springs Brewhouse. The town is cute as a button too. And then you can ride back. At a slow and gentle pace, it takes about 30 minutes to ride between Mandeville and Abita Springs. There's a new cafe called the Shiver Shack that rents bikes and serves ice cream. You can find it at the Mandeville Trailhead.Best of all, the entire Tammany Trace is free!

We made a fun day out of biking here, beginning in Covington. You can rent bikes at a great little shop at the beginning of the trace. We stopped along the way for drinks, food, & an awesome playground in Abita Springs. It was the longest distance our 6 year ever rode his bike. He loved seeing bunnies hopping about. So nice to not have to deal with the urban nuisances of our home-town (high-traffic, passed-out drunks, trash, passed-out drunks,etc) All the passers-by were so courteous & friendly. We'll go back for sure. Thanks St. Tammany Parish for being family-friendly!

I absolutely love the history of an old railway not going to waste but opened for all to enjoy, whether you want to cycle (best option as it goes on forever), walk, rollerblade or run. We cycled from 10 am to 4pm and still didn't get to see all that was instore or finish the whole length-Renting bikes was easy from Bayou Adventure (highly recommend Shannon- so helpful) and you'll receive a map of all the attractions along the way- We started in Lacombe and made it to Mandeville, where we had the best lunch in Old Mandeville Lakefront area- the shops and eatery's were all so quaint. Along the trace we stopped in at Fontainebleu State Park, Pelican Park, Big Branch Marsh, Lacombe Bayou and more. As your cycling you'll want to stop numerous times to take pictures of the beautiful swamps and canopy tree lined paths- it was such a joy to experience.

This trace is the paved trail that used to be where railroad tracks were. It goes from Covington to Slidell with many excellent trailheads with ample parking to access the trace. We usually bike it. It's very pretty with lots of woods and bridges over little creeks and rivers. Benches and picnic areas to stop for a break too. It is closed at night and there is a ranger who rides along the trace keeping an eye on things.