Best Tent Camping near Barataria, LA

Great beach tent camping. Fantastic facilities including FREE laundry. Great crabbing! Just trow a chicken neck on a string and just pull them in. Unfortunately, we had a major storm on our first 2 days but we had a blast. The locals are awesome!

Just completed our first non-tent camping experience with our new camper. Fontainebleau was the perfect spot. Easy to navigate, lots of really good campsites, clean, air-conditioned restrooms. Tons of wildlife and a great splash park for the kids. Nice nature trails. Can’t wait to go back.

My understanding is that this campground is currently closed due to the impacts of Hurricane Ida and efforts are being made to get it opened back up soon.

We tent camped on an rv site (May 2020) and set up our tent on natural ground beyond the asphalt pad.  The other campers in our area were quiet and kept to their campsites.  We enjoyed a bike ride on the Saint Tammany Trace and then made a short drive to Abita Springs for lunch.  There was high water at the time we went, so the beach area was shut down for recreation.  We did manage to get out to the pier on Sunday for a scenic view of the lake.  

We plan to return to the park soon and bring our kayaks.  There seems to be lots of good paddling opportunities around the park.

This state park is located at the very tip of the Island. It is a beautiful spot that allows you to camp directly on the beach with tents and a stones throw from the beach in an RV. There are about a dozen tent sites and probably 30 RV pull through spots with water and electric hookups. The shower and bathroom are air conditioned and are very well maintained and there is even a dish washing station right outside the wash center. It is $18 a night to camp with a tent and I believe it’s $30 for a pull through spot (in the off season). Only downside to this park is that the gates close at 10 PM and if you’re not already registered to camp (with the key code for the gate) you won’t be able to camp here if you are arriving late and there are no other camp sites for tents on the island. So show up early and enjoy!

This is a really nice state park and campground. It's located right on Lake Pontchartrain, which is really beautiful and nice for swimming, fishing, canoeing. They have some really nice tent sites, nice bathrooms, pavilions, picnic tables. There are also cabins that you can rent if you want. The beaches are cool, there are some nice hiking and biking trails.

Of course, being right near New Orleans, there is plenty to do. Taking a boat tour through some of the swamps is really cool. Plus, you get to find out a little about the history of the city. Taking a bike tour around the city is really cool as well. I learned so much about the history of New Orleans when I did it! Just a really awesome city full of culture and weirdly awesome stuff.

Good spot for fishermen and birding, but the sites are not private at all. The electric sites are $30 a night and it’s an RV park with manicured lawns covered in tiny mammal poops and lawn trimmings and 1-2 palm trees per site. You get electric and water, but the water tastes very chlorinated. There’s at least 2 dishwashing stations. Great access to the beach, lots of shorebirds and skimmers, spectacular sunrise and sunset. The bathrooms are nice too, but far from the electric sites so it’s a hike or a bike ride to use them. Showers are hot and clean. The tent sites feel more private since it feels more nature-y on the beach and less like a neighborhood, and they each have a fire ring and picnic table. Mosquitos are a given for the region, as is heavy morning dew in January. Some great casual southern dining options nearby.

So many ways to break this down

1. The campgrounds. RV and tent camping sites are all pull through. Not big spots, no privacy or shade ... location, location, location. They all have fire pits, water and elect. Some have separate grills. The Tent only sites are on the beach. You have to carry your gear, no driving on the beach. Pick a site closer to the bath houses - there are 2. Big bath houses, plenty of showers.

2. The Park. There are 2 piers for saltwater fishing as well as a dock for inlet fishing. There are other small marshy areas to fish depending on the tide.

3. The town. Grand Isle is all about being at the end of the world and fishing. Be prepared to see cars parked along the side of the road and people fishing from any spot there is water. There is water everywhere.

We were not prepared to do serious fishing on this trip but still had a blast. We played with crabs in the inlet, put our feet in the Gulf, watched shrimp boats. There is a hiking trail, but at high tide it is flooded so you can't access it.

No matter the time of year or the wind speed - BUG SPRAY IS A NECESSITY!

This campground is a small open field by a road and river. There were some other rvs and tents even I arrived. I felt safe & it was quiet. No bathrooms or water available. You must have a (free) permit on Louisiana’s app LDWF WMA & sign in & out. I def recommend & I’ll be coming back if I need to camp out near NOLA!!

This park is way south in Louisiana. It was a super interesting area to explore. We had some of the best fried chicken we have ever had from a gas station! The beach view isn’t the greatest with oil rigs dotting the horizon, but it is such an interesting area and we are so glad we checked it out! The campground was nice and it also had free laundry which is a huge plus!

We went on a weekend after it had rained all week. There wasn’t a dry spot to be found. The bathrooms were cleaned every morning. Sites were pretty close together, but the campground was clean. I would like to see it in summer when it is drier. They offer a discount for the Access Pass holders, but only if you are a Louisiana resident. They don’t detail that on the website.

This site was quite nice.  Loved the beach area and the picnic areas, and the live oaks are to die for.  There are also historical relics there and an museum which were very very nice.  

Only downfall we could see was the sheer amount of bugs.  We brought a bug zapper, thank god, and that thing was COVERED by the time we left.  I guess that would just be typical for south louisiana!

Holy Goodness it is HOT in South Louisiana in May.

Campground and Site 9: nice and roomy sites with electric, water, grill, fire pit, picnic table and shade trees. There is 1 bath house and around 50 sites. The grounds are very clean and very well kept. Not crowded or too busy. There is a playground in the campsite between sites 10 and 11. At site 9, I could watch the kids play while I sat in the shade, watched them and relaxed. There is a 1-mile nature trail from campground to say use area. The bath house was clean and spacious and across from site 9. This campground is perfect for relaxing and taking it easy. The kids got bored pretty quick though. Would be better to visit in the fall and winter.

PARK: the park is small. There is a splash pad that was a huge hit for the little boys. This is the parks main attraction for the locals. Sunday's the locals get in free but it was not packed. There is very little shade in this area. You need to bring chairs and a canopy. There are (2) covered areas but is awkward to share the space with others. There are tons of picnic spots in the day use area and a huge pavilion. There was once a pool but it is closed now.

NEARBY: when here, you are very close to the Chalmette Battlefield National Park and Cemetery where the famous battle of New Orleans took place. This park offers great history lesson and period dressed reenactments. Best time to visit is in early January when they recreate the battle. (Check dates with the park)

JAMBALAYA: being from Louisiana at a nice lazy campground, we decided to cook a local favorite.

Came for the weekend as a last minute solo camp. Tons of wildlife! Clean park with hot showers! I would definitely lock all food in your car. Raccoons around here will unzip your tent and rob you 😂

Had a pull in site. Great view, spacious sites, lots of trees and space. Horrible deer flies. Make sure you bring a screen tent to enjoy the outdoor sitting. Lots of critters…raccoons, squirrels, and deer. Will definitely be back

Nice campground, grass kept cut nice, trees with shade, spots for both tents and rv's/campers. Nice boardwalk and short trail, but no long hiking trails. Great access point to Tchefuncte River. Park is close to town also.

We stayed at Fontainebleau State Park when traveling to NOLA for Mardi Gras in late February, wanting a quiet place to retreat after a day of festivities. Fontainebleau did not disappoint in quiet, although the wetlands definitely extended all the way into our campsite. 

As tent campers, we chose one of the unimproved sites (94) as we did not need water and electric, and during Mardi Gras most of the campground was full as it was. We arrived after dark and found...a completely flooded site! While in part due to recent rains, one of the rangers told me that the campground was extremely wet most of the year. As it was already dark we elected not to try and carry our tent and sleeping gear over the soggy grounds to the one semi-dry tent pad, and just set up our bed in the car. Most of the sites in this area were equally wet, and another set of campers had rigged a zip-line to get their gear from the car over the flooded grounds to their dry spot. A trade-off for quiet and privacy, and a place of exploration for our kids.

The improved area of the campground was still largely wet with flooded areas, although the main hookup sites had the driest ground, and paved roads throughout for bike riding and walks on dry land.

The primitive sites are very open and would work well for church or scouting groups, although due to wide grassy areas and ever so slightly lower elevations, they were very flooded when we were there. The premium sites along the edge of the "new campground" seemed to have the least amount of flooding. They have electric and water hookups and offer a little more privacy than the center sites, but are smaller by comparison to the unimproved sites.

Aside from the wet grounds, this is a beautiful park, with a lot of hiking through wetlands, Spanish moss draping gracefully throughout, and a gorgeous view of Lake Pontchartrain. There is a very small beach, multiple playgrounds, and large pavilions, and the campground had some of the cleanest bathrooms I have experienced. We are a homeschool family and really enjoyed the ruins of the sugar mill and the historic markers to include in our teaching curriculum for the weekend. 

In addition to being only a 30 minute drive from New Orleans, this would be a wonderful park to come to just for the enjoyment of the scenery--provided you are in a camper or a van. Tent campers should be prepared for wet grounds, or make sure to have hammocks or tree tents available just in case!

Nice facilities the shower house / bathrooms are kept clean. Laundry is available at no charge, wifi is slow. This campground can hold any size RV or tent, some sites with full hook-ups. Close to the beach and a nice bike trail into town.

No bathrooms or water but close to a few stores and gas stations. Lots of room and flat ground. I camped in my car but others were in tents or rvs. Must have permit and sign in and out, all of it can be done online. Good service

This family oriented campground was busy during the Easter weekend- pro analysis due to its proximity to New Orleans. The campsites can accommodate pretty much anything from tents to big rigs. Most sites are large with good spacing between sites, but not much privacy between sites. The campground, as we as the restroom/shower house, is well maintained. Electric & water hookups. Water actually tasted good. Heard sounds of ATVs riding in the distance. Very quiet at night.

This state park looks a little older but has good amenities. You can get sites with water and electric service. Dump site is available. The shower house and bathrooms has a small laundry, which is free, and there is wifi in the park, but usually almost to slow to use. Sites are nice and come in various sizes for your RV or tent. Some of the sites are low and can hold water. This park fills up quickly at Mardi Gras, so reserve early.

In a basic sense the facilities worked and things were organized well but the park is kind of dumpy.. However, sites were paved pull ins with nothing but low lying grass around them. I was lucky enough to foresee the flooding potential and put my tent on the asphalt pad, because an inch of overnight rain flooded everything around it. That said, the asphalt was lumpy and my sleep uncomfortable.

The campground is pretty standard state park material. Clean and easy to use. There is a good bit of foliage between sites so you're not sitting there seeing tents in every direction. There are some short trails and a splash pad area (water cannons, sprinklers, etc.) This is a great campground for families with young children! We fished, hiked, played at the splash pad and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.