The Creole Nature Trail All-American Road takes you through much of Louisiana's Chenier Plain.
These wooded sandy ridges formed thousands of years ago through a combination of silt deposits from shifting river deltas and Gulf of Mexico currents that trapped these deposits, isolating strips of sandy beaches. Over time, these isolated or "stranded" beaches became ridges. Hardwood trees - especially live oaks - took root and grew in abundance. "Chenier" is French for "oak tree," and these magnificent trees are the hallmark of Louisiana's cheniers.
Although the highest cheniers are only 10 feet above sea level, this critical extra height made settlement possible. Besides hunting and fishing, residents raise cattle that graze in the marsh during the winter when the insects are few and then graze on the ridges in summer when insects fill the marsh.
