When you depart the Lake Charles Visitor Center, plan to get on I-10 eastbound in less than a quarter mile via the ramp to your left. Stay on I-10 to the Cameron/Creole exit, #36. At end of exit ramp, turn right to access Louisiana 397 and pick-up the Creole Nature Trail. Welcome to your personal tour of Louisiana's Outback, the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road. Before leaving Lake Charles make sure you have a full tank of gas, as service stations are scarce along the route. You might want to also bring plenty of drinks and snacks to munch on! Make sure you have good camera batteries and keep your camera close as you will undoubtedly want to capture some of the interesting and beautiful scenes along the way. You might also want to get insect repellant and make a final "pit stop" before heading into Louisiana's Outback. We will point out some locations of public restrooms along the way, but they are few and far between. Once you leave town the driving will be easy. Cameron Parish (that's a county for most of you!), is Louisiana's largest at 1,313 square miles, has but one stop light! Driving the entire 180-mile Creole Nature Trail All-American Road, including stops for taking in sights along the way, takes eight to ten hours. The most frequently travelled portion of the trail is the main loop from Lake Charles to the Gulf and back up to Sulphur. This trip takes four to six hours, if you allow for time to stop at beaches and wildlife refuges. Once you are fueled up, stocked up, and enthusiastically psyched up with anticipation, head out to experience Louisiana's Outback along the Creole Nature Trail All-American Road.