Client:
State of Louisiana
Office of State Parks
Baton Rouge, LA
225-342-8111

The original plan for the development of Tickfaw State Park called for the typical visitor’s center, swimming pool, a variety of ball fields spread throughout the site,
and cluster of cabins nestled
along the river. But since much of the site lies in a wetland state year-round, that design didn’t seem realistic.

After Moore Planning Group, LLC joined the design team, a radically different blueprint took shape. The new plan proposed leaving more of the natural habitat, developing less of the land and letting nature be the center attraction. It wasn’t long after the park opened in 1999 that Tickfaw State Park began earning its reputation as Louisiana’s premier ecotourism attraction.

The Tickfaw River cuts through the heart of the 1,300-acre park located 32 miles east of Baton Rouge near Hammond, LA. Campers, hikers, bicyclists, canoeists, wildlife and horticulture admirers alike can pursue their favorite recreation among the park’s four distinct eco-system villages: the cypress/tupelo swamp, the bottomland hardwood forest, the riparian/river system and the wetland system. Archeological sites (where Native Americans may have camped) and wetlands are crisscrossed with five miles of trails and a boardwalk system that link the various ecosystem villages with camping activities, allowing visitors to experience nature up close while making very minimal impact on the wetlands and wildlife habitat.

Most of the development is near the road, on what is referred to as the first-level day-use area. It includes cabins and a nature center with three classroom-like amphitheaters where tour groups and school children can learn about the environment from park naturalists. The farther from the road you travel, the more rustic and undeveloped the park becomes. Major retention ponds and lakes not only control the continuous flooding but likewise separate the various activities, carefully distributing the users so the capacity of the habitats is preserved. To further the site’s preservation, overnight users must sign a set of strict guidelines as they enter the park. Tickfaw State Park is recognized not only as a practical example of wetlands and wildlife habitat preservation but also as a lucrative eco-tourism site that attracts more than 100,000 visitors each year.