Louisiana Scenic Byways | |
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System information | |
Maintained by La DOTD | |
Length | 3,144 mi [1] (5,060 km) |
Formed | 1993; [2] reorganized 2010 [3] |
Highway names | |
Interstates | Interstate nn (I-nn) |
US Highways | U.S. Highway nn (US nn) |
State | Louisiana Highway nn (LA nn) |
System links | |
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The Louisiana Scenic Byways are a network of roadways within the U.S. state of Louisiana that have been deemed of cultural, historical, or scenic value. The routes follow various segments of the state-maintained highway system, usually rural in character, and are mostly located in the central and southern areas of the state.
There are currently 18 routes that are active members of the Louisiana Scenic Byways program, following its reorganization in 2010.
Name | Length (mi) [1] | Length (km) | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Bayou Teche Byway | 184 | 296 | 1995 | Travels alongside Bayou Teche from Morgan City to Arnaudville; includes west and east bank routes with an additional loop through the Catahoula area; component highways include LA 31 and LA 182 |
Boom or Bust Byway | 136 | 219 | 2011 | Travels primarily along LA 2 from the Texas state line to Lisbon with a loop at either end; highlights several small towns that once prospered in the oil/gas and lumber industries |
Cajun Corridor | 34 | 55 | Linear route along LA 14 from Gueydan through Abbeville to Delcambre; highlights Cajun cuisine | |
Cane River National Heritage Trail | 71 | 114 | Linear route (with occasional spurs) along the Cane River via LA 1, LA 119, and LA 494 from Lena to Natchitoches; and LA 6 and LA 485 to Allen | |
Creole Nature Trail | 207 | 333 | 1975 | Louisiana's only All-American Road, highlighting the diverse wildlife in the marshes and prairies of coastal Cameron Parish and the Lake Charles area; includes portions of LA 27 and LA 82 |
Historic US 80 / Dixie Overland | 113 | 182 | Linear route along US 80 from Ruston through Monroe to the Mississippi River opposite Vicksburg, Mississippi | |
Flyway Byway | 55 | 89 | 2014 | Circular tour through Jefferson Davis Parish through Welsh, Jennings, and Lake Arthur; includes portions of US 90, LA 14, LA 26, and LA 99 |
Longleaf Trail Byway | 17 | 27 | 1989 | Linear route on Forest Highway 59 through the Kisatchie National Forest between LA 117 and LA 119 |
Louisiana Colonial Trails | 484 | 779 | Complex network of roadways across central Louisiana including portions of the Old San Antonio Road and El Camino Real; component highways include US 84, LA 6, and LA 8 | |
Great River Road | 772 | 1,242 | 1965 | Louisiana's portion of this National Scenic Byway parallels the Mississippi River from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arkansas state line |
Myths and Legends Byway | 181 | 291 | 2012 | Network of roads primarily in Beauregard and Allen parishes, passing through former Atakapa and Coushatta Indian lands and old sawmill towns |
Northup Trail | 123 | 198 | 2014 | Places associated with Solomon Northup and Twelve Years a Slave; includes US 71 between Bunkie and Marksville |
San Bernardo Byway | 35 | 56 | 1996 | Generally linear route along LA 46 that highlights the multinational history of St. Bernard Parish |
Southern Swamps Byway | 69 | 111 | Traverses the Maurepas and Manchac swampland along Old US 51 and LA 22 | |
Toledo Bend Forest Scenic Byway | 78 | 126 | 1995 | Follows LA 191 along the Toledo Bend Reservoir, the largest man-made lake in the southern United States |
Tunica Trace Byway | 20 | 32 | 1995 | Follows LA 66 from US 61 to the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola |
Wetlands Cultural Byway | 282 | 454 | Network of roads through the bayous and wetlands of Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes | |
Zydeco Cajun Prairie Byway | 283 | 455 | Network of roads through the Acadiana region of Louisiana, highlights the area's abundance of Zydeco music and festivals | |
The Creole Nature Trail is an All-American Road that is designated primarily along stretches of LA 27 and LA 82 in Cameron and Calcasieu parishes, located in the southwestern corner of the state. Like most of Louisiana's Scenic Byways, it does not follow a linear route but instead consists of a network of existing state-maintained highways. The trail spans a total of 180 miles (290 km) through a remote area sometimes referred to as "Louisiana's Outback." The surroundings range from marshland and prairie to sandy beaches and contain a wide variety of wildlife, including alligators, birds, butterflies, and fish. Four wildlife refuges are located along the route. [4]
The Great River Road is a collection of state and local roads that follow the course of the Mississippi River through ten states of the United States. They are Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana. It formerly extended north into Canada, serving the provinces of Ontario and Manitoba. The road is designated as both a National Scenic Byway and an All-American Road in several states along the route.
A Pure Michigan Byway is the designation for a segment of the State Trunkline Highway System in the US state of Michigan that is a "scenic, recreational, or historic route that is representative of Michigan's natural and cultural heritage." The designation was created with the name Michigan Heritage Route by the state legislature on June 22, 1993, and since then six historic, seven recreational and seven scenic byways have been designated by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), and another two have been proposed. These byways have been designated in both the Upper and Lower peninsulas of the state. The current name was adopted on December 30, 2014, and it references the Pure Michigan tourism marketing campaign.
A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for one or more of six "intrinsic qualities": archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic. The program was established by Congress in 1991 to preserve and protect the nation's scenic but often less-traveled roads and promote tourism and economic development. The National Scenic Byways Program (NSBP) is administered by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
Kisatchie National Forest, the only National forest in Louisiana, United States, is located in the forested piney hills and hardwood bottoms of seven central and northern parishes. It is part of the Cenozoic uplands and has large areas of longleaf pine forests. It is one of the largest pieces of natural landscape in Louisiana, with some 604,000 acres (2,440 km2) of public land, more than half of which is vital longleaf pine and flatwoods vegetation. These support many rare plant and animal species. There are also rare habitats, such as hillside seepage bogs and calcareous prairies. The forest also contains and provides a buffer for the Kisatchie Hills Wilderness, a nationally designated wilderness area that contributes to protecting biodiversity of the coastal plain region of the United States.
Louisiana Highway 82 (LA 82) is a state highway located in southern Louisiana. It runs 142.87 miles (229.93 km) in a general east–west direction from the Texas state line east of Port Arthur to the Vermilion–Lafayette parish line southwest of Youngsville.
Louisiana Highway 6 (LA 6) is a state highway located in western central Louisiana. It runs 54.52 miles (87.74 km) in an east–west direction from the Texas state line southwest of Many to U.S. Highway 71 (US 71) and U.S. Highway 84 (US 84) in Clarence.
Louisiana Highway 27 (LA 27) is a state highway located in southwestern Louisiana. It runs 132.42 miles (213.11 km) in a general north–south direction from LA 14 in Holmwood to the junction of U.S. Highways 171 and 190 in DeRidder.
Louisiana Highway 14 (LA 14) is a state highway located in southern Louisiana. It runs 100.10 miles (161.10 km) in an east–west direction from the junction of U.S. Highways 90 and 171 in Lake Charles to LA 182 in New Iberia.
Louisiana Highway 29 (LA 29) is a state highway located in southern Louisiana. It runs 54.09 miles (87.05 km) in a north–south direction from LA 13 north of Eunice to LA 114 west of Moreauville.
Louisiana Highway 66 (LA 66) is a state highway located in southeastern Louisiana. It runs 19.62 miles (31.58 km) in a general east–west direction from the main entrance of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola to a junction with U.S. Highway 61 (US 61) north of St. Francisville.
The Trail of the Ancients is a National Scenic Byway located in the states of Colorado and Utah. The route highlights the archaeological and cultural history of southwestern Native American peoples, and traverses the widely diverse geological landscape of the Four Corners region of the Colorado Plateau. It was the first National Scenic Byway that was designated solely for its archaeological sites. The entire route is approximately 480 miles (772.5 km) long.
The River Road National Scenic Byway is a National Scenic Byway and National Forest Scenic Byway in the US state of Michigan. This 23+1⁄2-mile-long (37.8 km) byway follows M-65 and River Road; it extends eastward into the Huron National Forest and ends in the historic community of Oscoda near Lake Huron. The road parallels the historic Au Sable River which has historically been a major transportation route for floating Michigan's giant white pine from the forest to the saw mill towns on Lake Huron. Along its course, the roadway offers access to several recreational areas as well as the local scenery. The section of the River Road that follows M-65 was added to the State Trunkline Highway System in the 1930s. The River Road was given National Forest Scenic Byway status in 1988, and National Scenic Byway status in 2005.
Louisiana Highway 96 (LA 96) is a state highway located in southern Louisiana. It runs 19.54 miles (31.45 km) in an east–west direction from LA 182 in Broussard to LA 352 east of Catahoula.
Louisiana Highway 99 (LA 99) is a state highway located in southwestern Louisiana. It runs 32.44 miles (52.21 km) in a north–south direction from LA 14 west of Lake Arthur to U.S. Highway 190 (US 190) east of Kinder.
Louisiana Highway 114 (LA 114) is a state highway located in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana. It runs 20.86 miles (33.57 km) in an east–west direction from LA 1 east of Echo to a second junction with LA 1 and LA 451 east of Moreauville.
The Wisconsin State Trunk Highway System is the state highway system of the U.S. state of Wisconsin, including Wisconsin's segments of the Interstate Highway System and the United States Numbered Highway System, in addition to its other state trunk highways. These separate types of highways are respectively designated with an I-, US, or STH- prefix. The system also includes minor roads designated as Scenic Byways, four routes intended to promote tourism to scenic and historic areas of the state; and as Rustic Roads, lightly-traveled and often unpaved local roads which the state has deemed worthy of preservation and protection. The state highway system, altogether totaling 11,753 miles (18,915 km) across all of Wisconsin's 72 counties, is maintained by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT).
Minnesota Scenic Byways are a system of roads in the U.S. state of Minnesota which pass through areas of scenic, cultural, or recreational significance. There are currently 22 scenic byways in the system with a total length of 2,948 miles (4,744 km). Eight of these byways are also designated as National Scenic Byways, and the North Shore Scenic Drive is further designated as an All-American Road.