Lake Fausse Pointe State Park

About this park

Lake Fausse Pointe State Park occupies 6,000 acres deep within the Atchafalaya Basin, the largest river-basin swamp in the United States, straddling Iberia and St. Martin parishes. The site was once home to the Chitimacha people, and its remote, cypress-forested location keeps it genuinely secluded, with no cell service and rarely any signal at all for visitors seeking to fully disconnect. The park's wooded trails wind past overlooks onto Lake Fausse Pointe itself, including the 1.6-mile Cardinal Run trail with its scenic lake view, while canoe trails let paddlers explore the swamp's cypress-tupelo forest directly by water. Wildlife sightings are routine here, from alligators to barred owls, and the park's main road and conference center were named in 1999 in honor of a local figure who championed the site's preservation. Eighteen furnished lakefront cabins, RV and tent campsites, canoe-in primitive sites, and a boat launch give visitors a range of ways to experience the swamp overnight, and the park's isolated position makes it a natural jumping-off point for exploring nearby Cajun heritage sites, including the Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site in St. Martinville and the broader Acadiana region's culture.