Fontainebleau State Park

Fontainebleau State Park, on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain near Mandeville in St. Tammany Parish, is the most visited state park in Louisiana and the primary natural escape for New Orleans residents — a 2,800-acre park of longleaf pine and mixed hardwood forest, sandy Lake Pontchartrain beach, and the dramatic brick ruins of an 1829 sugar refinery, all just 45 miles from the French Quarter via the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway.

The park offers swimming and sunbathing on the sandy lake beach, camping under the pines, hiking and biking through the forest, and the haunting beauty of the plantation ruins draped in Spanish moss. The beach on Lake Pontchartrain — one of the largest estuaries in the country — faces south toward New Orleans and offers dramatic sunsets. Fontainebleau State Park is a treasured natural and historical icon of Louisiana.

Fontainebleau State Park offers swimming at the sandy Lake Pontchartrain beach (a broad, gentle sandy shore on the vast lake), biking and hiking on miles of trails through the longleaf pine and hardwood forest (including the paved trail along the old railroad right-of-way), camping (tent, RV and cabins), picnicking, birding and wildlife watching, crabbing and fishing in the lake and the park’s bayou, and visiting the 1829 plantation ruins. The lake beach, the pine forest trails and the plantation ruins are the signature draws. The combination of a sandy lake beach and pine forest just 45 minutes from New Orleans makes Fontainebleau exceptional.

Spring and fall offer the most comfortable temperatures for hiking and camping (Louisiana summer is hot and humid), while summer brings the warmest lake water for swimming (and the largest crowds on weekends). Fall brings migratory songbirds through the pines (the park is an excellent migrant trap in October and November). Spring is beautiful with azaleas blooming. Summer for beach swimming, spring for wildflowers and fall for birding are the highlights — come on a weekday in any season to avoid the weekend crowds, and time a fall visit for the October neotropical-migrant fallout.

Fontainebleau was the site of a large sugar plantation owned by Bernard de Marigny, a prominent New Orleans Creole whose passion for gambling eventually forced the estate’s sale. The 1829 sugar refinery (the brick ruins visible in the park today) operated briefly before being destroyed by a hurricane. The estate passed through several hands before becoming a state park in 1935. The park preserves the plantation ruins and the Lake Pontchartrain shoreline, a beloved resource for the New Orleans metropolitan area. Fontainebleau State Park is a treasured natural and historical icon of Louisiana.

Fontainebleau State Park sits on the Pleistocene terrace of the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain — the ancient sandy lake-shoreline deposits left as Lake Pontchartrain’s shoreline retreated, creating the slightly elevated, sandy, well-drained terrain that supports the longleaf pine forest. Lake Pontchartrain itself is a large, shallow estuary (about 40 miles wide) connected to the Gulf of Mexico through Lake Borgne. The sandy Pleistocene deposits, the lake shore and the longleaf pine ecology created the beach-and-pine landscape of Fontainebleau.

Fontainebleau State Park is one of the best migrant songbird traps on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain — in fall (especially October), neotropical migrants (warblers, vireos, tanagers, thrushes and more) stream through the pines after crossing the Gulf of Mexico, concentrating in the park. Year-round the park has osprey, herons, egrets, wood ducks and other waterbirds on the lake and bayou. The longleaf pine forest also hosts brown-headed nuthatch, red-cockaded woodpecker (nearby populations) and other pine-forest birds. Fontainebleau offers excellent birding, especially in fall migration.

Fontainebleau State Park protects a remnant of the longleaf pine and mixed hardwood forest of the north-shore terrace, with the sandy lake beach and the bayou wetlands adding biodiversity. The longleaf pine ecosystem of the north shore — once widespread — has been largely converted to residential and commercial development; the park is a significant remnant. Fire management helps maintain the open longleaf pine understory. Protecting the longleaf pine forest, the beach shoreline and the bayou wetlands sustains both the ecology and the recreational value of Fontainebleau.

Fontainebleau State Park holds a treasured place among the icons of Louisiana — New Orleans’ backyard nature park, the most visited state park in the state, where the sandy Lake Pontchartrain beach, the longleaf pine forest and the romantic 1829 plantation ruins come together just 45 minutes from the French Quarter. For generations of New Orleanians, Fontainebleau is the closest taste of wild Louisiana. Fontainebleau State Park is a cherished natural and historical icon of Louisiana.

Fontainebleau State Park is near the city of Mandeville on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, off U.S. Highway 190, about 45 miles from New Orleans via the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. The park has a main gate and entrance fee (Louisiana State Parks fee); facilities include the beach, campground, cabins, trails, picnic areas and the plantation ruins. Mandeville (just east) has full services. The park is extremely popular on summer weekends; arrive early. Check Louisiana State Parks for current fees, camping reservations and conditions before visiting.

Louisiana State Parks manages Fontainebleau State Park and the lake shoreline. Visitors help by protecting the lake’s water quality (no pollutants), staying on the designated beach area, protecting the longleaf pine forest and understory (stay on trails), not disturbing migrant songbirds in fall (avoid unnecessary disturbance in the tree canopy during migration), respecting the plantation ruins (do not touch or damage them), and packing out everything. The beach, the pine forest and the plantation ruins are managed and sensitive. Protecting them sustains both the ecology and the historical character of Fontainebleau.

Lake Pontchartrain is a large, shallow estuary — the water can be turbid (not always clear for swimming) and the wind can raise chop; follow any swimming advisories (the park posts advisories when water quality or conditions are poor). Jellyfish (including stinging nettle jellyfish) are common in summer — be prepared. The beach gets extremely crowded on summer weekends; come early. Ticks and mosquitoes are present in the forest (use repellent and check after hiking). Respect the water conditions, the jellyfish, the crowds and the insects.

Louisiana State Parks fees apply; camping requires reservations. Follow posted swimming advisories and beach rules. Do not damage the plantation ruins (a historic site). Stay on designated trails in the forest. Pets are permitted on the trails and campground but not on the beach. Fishing and crabbing follow Louisiana DWF rules. Pack out all trash. Drones are restricted in the park. Check Louisiana State Parks for current fees, swimming advisories and conditions before visiting.

The city of Mandeville (charming north-shore city with restaurants and the bike trail along the lake), the city of Covington (with a vibrant downtown arts scene), the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway to New Orleans (about 45 miles south), Abita Springs (home of Abita Brewery), and the piney north-shore communities of St. Tammany Parish lie near the park. The Lake Pontchartrain north shore and New Orleans define the region. Fontainebleau anchors the outdoor experience of the north shore, a centerpiece of a New Orleans day trip, easily combined with Mandeville’s restaurants and the north-shore bike trail.

Come on a weekday to beat the heavy weekend crowds, or arrive before 9 AM on summer Saturdays to get a good spot on the sandy beach. Walk the paved trail through the longleaf pine forest toward the plantation ruins and watch for fall migrants in October (the pine canopy is excellent for warblers after a cold front). Bring insect repellent (mosquitoes in the forest), check for jellyfish before swimming (they concentrate in summer), and plan your Fontainebleau visit as part of a north-shore day that includes lunch in Mandeville or Covington and a drive along the lake.