Sunday, February 12, 2012

Tickfaw State Park - Louisiana

We didn't know what to expect as we headed to Tickfaw State Park in Louisiana. We selected the park because it was close to Baton Rouge, where our son is currently working on his Ph.D. degree at LSU. If the park turned out to be a dud, we would spend most of our time in Baton Rouge. If the park turned out to be a gem, we would invite our son and his fiancee out to the park.

One of the swamps at Tickfaw State Park
 The main draw for this park is the ecosystem. The park is home to several swampy areas and there are several boardwalks allowing visitors to hike through the swamps without disturbing them.

Hiking on one of the boardwalks at Tickfaw State Park
 In case you are wondering, there are alligators in these swamps.

A "green" swamp at Tickfaw State Park
We had strong 3G coverage from AT&T for our iPhones. That was good because the park did not offer WiFi service. We were able to watch off-air digital TV signals from Baton Rouge plus a couple stations from New Orleans. In other words, we had good coverage for both our Internet and TV needs.

The actual camping area of Tickfaw State park is level and many sites have a wooden deck to the side. The park had electrical and water connections. There was a dump station located near the entrance to the camping area.

Camping area at Tickfaw State Park
 It appeared that many of the campers in the park were locals. There were several family groups and camping friends all around us. That added to the our camping experience. Groups were cooking some great smelling Cajun foods and they always extended an invitation to us to join them. I guess that is one of the fringe benefits of camping in Louisiana.

Jeremy and Elizabeth join us for lunch inside Rosie.
Becky in Rosie's kitchen area
There is an interesting visitors center at this park. You will want to plan on spending an hour or two going through their exhibits.

This is a park worth visiting and exploring.