Basic Info about the Refuge
The Bayou Cocodrie National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana is nearly 15,000 acres.
The Bayou Cocodrie NWR in Louisiana is located along the state’s Black Bear Corridor, between the Tensas River NWR and the Atchafalaya River Basin. Thanks to its location and bottomland hardwood habitat, the small national wildlife refuge is home to bears, bobcats, and loads of deer and feral hogs.
This refuge is made up of four units: Brooks Brake, Cross Bayou, Hoover Slough, and Wallace Lake. We enjoyed the Brooks Brake and Cross Bayou areas the most.
Deer and hogs run along the road leading to Cross Bayou and through the undergrowth near the Brooks Brake parking area during most of the year, and you’ll find bobcats, owls, anoles, and turtles throughout the refuge.
Take a walk along the Observation Tower Trail to find all kinds of songbirds, who will get pretty close. The trees near the parking area at the headquarters building are filled with woodpeckers, warblers, vireos, kinglets, and flycatchers during the winter. You might also find a bear or coyote watching from a distance as you walk the trees for owls and woodpeckers, too.
