*During the Covid-19 Pandemic, Bayou Segnette State Park is temporarily closed for use as a potential quarantine area. *
On our first big road trip as full-time RVers, we decided to spend a couple of days in New Orleans on our way to the NASCAR race at Talladega. Since traveling in our giant fifth wheel was fairly new to us, my search for places to stay were focused solely on those that specifically said they accommodated “big rigs.” As a result, we ended up staying at the French Quarter RV Resort, just three or four blocks from the French Quarter.
The resort was beautiful and secure, and the staff exceptionally friendly. The price was also pretty exceptional, at $120/night. Despite the close proximity to the French Quarter, it was still recommended that we take a taxi or Uber back and forth if we were out after dark, even if we were with a group. During the daytime, it was perfectly safe to be out on the streets.
We only spent two nights there, mostly because of the cost. It was nice to be such a short distance from the places we wanted to see, but being in the city, the park was noisy day and night. At the back of the RV park, the sites sit directly beneath the I 10 freeway. On the side streets, there is noise, music and vehicle traffic at all hours.
Doing it Differently
This time passing through Louisiana, we decided to return to New Orleans, specifically to visit the National World War II Museum. Being much more comfortable with our rig, I began searching for alternative places to stay in the New Orleans area.
During our time on the road we have found that state parks work really well for us. They typically have more space to spread out than an RV park and are lower in cost. We’ll even gladly take a partial hookup site and utilize the park’s showers in order to stay in a great setting.
During our search, we found the Bayou Segnette State Park campground. It’s located across the Mississippi River from New Orleans, but vehicle access into the city via the bridge is nearby. Not wanting to drive our semi into the city, we found a passenger ferry that departs from a dock in the nearby community of Algiers, and drops passengers off right at the foot of Canal Street. Perfect access to the casinos and the French Quarter!!!
We found out that the community of Algiers is comprised mostly of long-time residents, and is very quiet and safe. There is a pay parking lot a block from the ferry terminal, but there is also plenty of free parking along the street. The ferry costs $1 per person each way, and you pay the crew on the ferry as you board. The last ferry of the day departs Canal Street about 9:45 pm, which was just fine for us.
Bayou Segnette State Park Campground
Conveniently located near Highway 90, the campground comprises only a portion of Bayou Segnette State Park‘s more than 600 acres. The campsites are large and spacious, and are equipped with water and electricity. We had plenty of room for our 42’ fifth wheel and our semi, and could even park them end-to-end within our campsite.
The campground is quiet, with little to no road noise. There are playgrounds, clean bathrooms with shower facilities, and even FREE laundry! Outside of the campground but within the state park are a boat launching ramp, a large community swimming pool and miles of walking and biking trails.
Within a short driving distance of the park are numerous restaurants, grocery stores and other shopping areas, making it easy to replenish your supplies while you’re there.
Overall we really enjoyed our experience camping at Bayou Segnette State Park, and will definitely use this as our go-to campground whenever we return to the New Orleans area. It offers the best of both worlds – safe and easy access to the city while providing a quiet, country-like setting for peaceful camping.
