Cat Island Cypress

I wanted to share a few pics from a day trip the wife and I took up to St. Francisville last weekend. We got a chance to head over to the Cat Island NWR and check out the national champion bald cypress tree that calls the refuge home. It is the largest tree of any species east of the Sierra Nevadas and is definitely an impressive sight in person, the trunk is massive. There is a short, well maintained trail leading to the tree allowing anyone access to check it out, provided the Mississippi River is below 26 feet at Baton Rouge. The refuge is the southernmost unleveed portion of the Mississippi River and floods every year. If you want to visit, Summer and Fall are safe bets that the refuge will be accessible.

We also got an opportunity the drive over the newest Mississippi River bridge in Louisiana, the John J. Audubon Bridge just south of St. Francisville. It is the longest cable stayed bridge in the US and may be just as impressive as the Cat Island Cypress, though in a different way. Pretty neat to have both of these amazing landmarks within an hours drive from home.