A lot of people never make it down to Southwest Louisiana in Cameron Parish. There are a lot of reasons for that. It’s a rural area and not a major thoroughfare. I want to preface this with, in 2020 this area got hit very hard with not only a Cat 4 hurricane but followed by a Cat 2. I had never been to Cameron Parish so I cannot tell you a lot about what it was before the 2020 storms. I can tell you it is a very beautiful place.
We headed out from Abbeville down the 82 until it merges with the 27. To our misfortune, we arrived and found the Cameron Ferry closed. I had not looked closely at the map, even though I should know better, it’s Louisiana. There is a ferry and if it’s not open, the detour is 3 hours. This dear reader is where I will offer a tip. Check the ferry’s twitter account before doing this route.
After our 3 hour detour around through a very hurricane hit Lake Charles, we reconnected with the 27 headed south and jumped back on the 82. Just west of Holly Beach and heading towards the Texas border is the gem. It’s the Gulf of Mexico pressed up against marshlands, miles and miles of marshlands. The land isn’t good for building on, so there are very long stretches of nothing. It’s just you, your car, the open road and amazing views of the Gulf of Mexico.
We were there as the sun set, looking out over the Gulf of Mexico and not a soul was around. We pulled over and walked the beach for a while. It’s worth a trip out there just to see a completely deserted beach. A view like that is rare these days on this blue planet. Happy travels, go check this box on your bucket list.
