Mandeville Harbor

Awhile back, my friend and I decided to go on a short paddle, so we set out for the Mandeville harbor. The harbor gives nice access to the lake and the little bayous that hold marinas protected by the trees that line their banks. It's not much of a nature trail, though the east bank of the main bayou is the beginning of Fontainebleau State Park. Its a nice place to spend a few hours on a Saturday.

Bogue Falaya Park

Shortly after I bought my Scupper, I decided to take my maiden voyage in my new kayak at Bogue Falaya Park. I chose this put-in place partly because I knew it fairly well and partly because I didn't know any place closer. I had gotten to know this part of the Bogue Falaya a few years ago when I spent the summer on it with a friend wandering around in his flat-bottomed boat the year before he went off to war.
The river in this area is comfortably clear and wide with houses occasionally nestled on its wooded banks. It widens out a bit more downstream as other streams and rivers join it on its way to the Pontchartrain. Generally it moves at a comfortable pace, but it has been known to have rough currents and undertows after a bad rainy spell. The cypress trees are lovely and often play host to egrets and herons.
Bogue Falaya Park is a small park in the old resadential part of Old Covington. I think the park is open 7am to 7pm. There is a small public garden/park upstream at the end of Coloumbia and the Old Landing downstream. The park is a great place for picknicking, with a paved parking area and restrooms. Unfortunatly, the parking lot is a bit of a walk from the river, so you have to cart your kayak a bit.
All in all, I enjoied paddling there and am planning to do so again as soon as the weather and my scedule permits.