The Tammany Trace, Louisiana's first rail to trail conversion, follows the old Illinois Central Railroad for 31 miles, connecting Covington, Abita Springs, Mandeville, Lacombe, and Slidell. Most of the corridor is 200 feet wide, and traverses beautiful wetland areas as well as lush woods that form a canopy over most of the Trace. There are 31 bridges in that 31 miles, and most of them are magnificent timber bridges that are still structurally sound. When completed, the Trace will consist of a minimum of 10 foot wide asphalt trail with a two foot recovery area on each side. There is a separate equestrian trail that parallels the Trace in many places.
Horses share bridges with other users of the main trail.
As the Tammany Trace is multiple use corridor, many users, including pedestrians, rollerbladers, equestrians, walkers, cyclists and joggers, actively enjoy the Trace. The Tammany Trace Rangers are on the Trace during all hours of operation. They are available to answer questions, be of assistance, and to ensure safety for all Trace users. The first section of the Trace opened on September 17, 1994. It travels 8.5 miles from Abita Springs to Mandeville.