A planned park near downtown would offer nature trails along the river

As downtown officials look to offer more green space in our urban center, one place they are eyeing would be partially underwater at certain times of the year.

The proposed DeSoto Park Nature Trails, first announced last fall, would provide trails, ponds and picnic areas along a wooded 20-acre batture across River Road from the Pentagon Barracks. Because the land isn’t bound by a levee, it floods periodically when the river rises—meaning parts of the trail system would be inaccessible at times.

But according to a Downtown Development District report on the project, its location would be part of the park’s uniqueness. “The park will provide visitors with an opportunity to experience the river’s edge in its natural state,” the report says.

The minimal facilities and existing parking near the Capitol Park Welcome Center would also keep the costs low to establish the trails, Downtown Development’s Davis Rhorer told Daily Report last fall.

DDD is in the process of applying for state recreational grants to set the project into motion. Earlier this year, BREC conservationists surveyed the site for use as a potential conservation study area as well.

If all goes according to plan, Baton Rouge will soon have a different way to experience the riverfront. downtownbatonrouge.org

Click here to about some of the other ways to get out and about in Baton Rouge.

This article was originally published in the April 2018 issue of 225 Magazine.