St. Bernard State Park is probably one of the smaller and lesser-used State Parks in Louisiana. It’s number one attraction is its proximity as a place to camp very near New Orleans. It is located in Braithwaite, Louisiana in St. Bernard Parish, a 30-minute drive from New Orleans. A lot of RV folks and tent campers stay here while visiting New Orleans.
That said, it does offer some amenities for locals. There is a short nature trail that goes around the park, you can start the trail from the picnic area of the park or from the camping area of the park. We did visit the park right after Hurricane Zeta 2020 and the trail is not currently accessible. There are many felled trees blocking the trail. The park rangers are working to clear the felled trees from the trail, but there are so many down, it will probably take some time before the trail is fully operational.
There are some quiet picnic areas with a lot of tables to choose from. A few of the tables are currently covered in debris from the storm and some had their BBQ grills and trash cans knocked over by the hurricane.
If you have children, there is also a seasonal splash park and playground.
The camping area is a circular area for mostly RV campers. If you are tent camping here, you might want to check out the spots in advance because many are not level for setting up tents. They do not have any primitive camping sites available.
All in all, this is a nice day trip for a picnic or a hike when the hiking trails have been cleared of storm debris. It’s also a good place to stay if you are in need of a camping area a short distance from New Orleans that has affordable rates.
