Park Projects

*Work is ongoing to repair and improve some of the boardwalks and trails damaged during Hurricane Ida in 2021. These changes will make the area safer, better prepared for future storm events, and will provide greater accessibility to trails, making them open and available for everyone.This project began in May 2022; the pre-design phase was completed in July 2023, and the schematic design phase in August 2023. Here’s what’s planned:

Rebuild 1.32 miles of boardwalks and trails using strong composite materials to withstand future storm events, add safety railings, and raise the boardwalk 1.5 to 2 feet higher to prevent flooding. This includes the Education Center, Bayou Coquille, and Marsh Overlook Trails.
Remove 2.07 miles of damaged trails and boardwalks that flood often, including the Visitor Center and Palmetto Trails, to natural wetlands.
Keep and maintain 0.23 miles of the Ring Levee boardwalk.

This plan comes from the 2024 Environmental Assessment and was chosen as the preferred alternative. These improvements are more efficient for future repair and maintenance and make best use of public funds. By improving the trails now, the Park can:

Keep more trails open and available
Lower future repair and maintenance costs
Create a better and more dependable experience for all visitors

Phased construction began the first week of February 2026. As of August 2026 all demolition has been completed. Construction has begun on the new Visitor Center Trail (old Education Center Trail) and the Bayou Coquille Trail. Construction is set to begin on the Marsh Overlook Trail in Fall 2026.

Beginning February 2, 2026, the visitor center and all trails in the Preserve except for the Twin Canals Trail were closed to the public. Work is expected to take two years. Trails will reopen to the public as each phase is completed. For the current status of our trails please visit here: Alerts & Conditions - Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov).

All visitor services are temporarily relocated to the Louisiana Wetland Education Center and trails. Rangers will be present at the Civic Center from 10 am - 2pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays for summer programs and talks until September 1, 2026. The Wetland Trace Boardwalk trail is located just six miles away at 4917 City Park Drive, Jean Lafitte, LA 70067 and open daily. The Passport cancellation stamp and park brochures will be available at the Town of Lafitte's Louisiana Wetlands Educational Center and Barataria Museum. NOTE: Beginning Tuesday, July 28, the Louisiana Wetlands Education Center will begin charging an admission fee. Admission includes entry into both the Louisiana Wetlands Educational Center and Museum. Adults: $10. Seniors, people ages 13-17, Louisiana Residents (with ID), Military (with ID): $5. Children under 12 (with parent): FREE.

We are consolidating and relocating park administrative and visitor services functions to better utilize existing facilities on higher ground and reduce our park’s infrastructure footprint. These efforts began in May 2022. The Jones Point site will be restored to natural conditions. Phased construction is expected to begin in Spring 2027, and will take around two years to complete. The Preserve’s Visitor Center will move to the Education Center. This move will help visitors connect more directly with the trails and nature. The old Visitor Center building will be repurposed for administrative use.

*The reclamation of seven oil and gas well sites is completed. This work entailed the removal of surface equipment and cutting the wells below the surface at the mudline. These wells were originally plugged and abandoned in the 1960s, before the creation of the Preserve and the establishment of the park.

*In conjunction with the Army Corps of Engineers, we removed a shell plug located at the confluence of Bayou aux Carpes and Bayou Barataria and 12.5 miles of canal channels in order to improve water flow and improve environmental conditions. Monitoring of the results of this project continues.

*We built a breakwater to protect part of the Preserve’s Lake Salvador shoreline. Restoration and monitoring the submerged aquatic vegetation habitat continues.

We are actively planning repairs and stabilizatoin of the Malus-Beauregard House. Built in 1832-33, the building is currently a safety hazard to both employees and visitors. We ask visitors stay behind the barricades and do not approach the building. The southern (river-side) facing facade of the building was stabilized in Spring 2026.

We are also collaborating with the National Park Service’s Historic Preservation Training Center to rehabilitate the Chalmette Monument. Currently, we are in the design phase, developing plans that will guide future repair work. The project will focus on several key areas, including work on the masonry and windows as well as improvements to the door, stairwell, and landing. This work will begin in Winter 2027.

Beginning in May 2022, planning efforts began to repair aging infrastructure vital to stormwater removal and replacement of illegible headstones. Phased construction will begin in Spring/Summer 2027. In preparation for this project a team conducted a geospatial survey and full inventory of every grave marker. This survey mapped, inventoried, and described the condition of each grave marker. The exact location of each marker was recorded using a GPS with sub-meter accuracy. Each marker was photographed, and all inscriptions recorded. A database will be created to allow park staff to track conditions and treatments of each marker based on its location in the cemetery and assist with research questions and requests for information. An online version will be available for the public via the park’s webpage to search.

For the current status of our trails, please visit our Alerts & Conditions webpage.

The park is currently in the final design phase for a new ground-floor visitor center at 419 Decatur Street to accommodate visitor engagement and interpretive functions for both Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve and New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park into a single space. All new exhibits are also being designed.

Our museum collections were relocated from New Orleans to the Cane River Creole National Historical Park curatorial facility in Natchitoches, LA. This effort will minimize future threats to the collection by severe weather.

Planning efforts are underway to renovate the air conditioning at the Acadian Cultural Center in Lafayette. The Architectural and Engineering design services are underway. The museum collection was temporarily moved by a curatorial team in summer 2025 to Cane River Creole National Historical Park's curatorial facility until the air conditioning work is complete.

There are no ongoing projects at the Prairie Acadian Cultural Center.

There are no ongoing projects at the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center.

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