Cypress Island Preserve at Lake Martin

Cypress Island Preserve is owned by The Nature Conservancy and covers almost 10,000 acres of bottomland hardwood forest and cypress-tupelo swamp at the south end of Lake Martin. It is the largest remaining hardwood forest tract in the Teche-Vermilion watershed, and it lies just outside Lafayette, in contrast to the deeper and harder-to-reach Atchafalaya Basin.

The lake works as a rookery, one of the largest nesting colonies in Louisiana. Each spring thousands of birds nest in the flooded forest, among them egrets, herons, night herons, ibises, anhingas, cormorants and roseate spoonbills. American alligators nest here in numbers and are usually visible from Rookery Road, which runs along the lake's edge. Snakes, turtles, lizards, frogs and nutria are common as well.

The Conservancy runs a visitor center and a boardwalk over the swamp. A walking trail follows a levee, good for trans-Gulf migratory songbirds, and a small launch at its northern end serves paddlers. The trail suits children age 5 and up but turns muddy after rain, and strollers can struggle on the uneven ground. The address is 1264 Prairie Highway, St. Martinville; the preserve lists no hours online, so confirm access by phone.