Visit Louisiana’s Greatest Wonder – A 1,000 Year Old Cypress Tree
If you love history and adventure, than I've got great news for you! I just learned that the longest bayou in the whole world stretches between northeast Louisiana and southeastern Arkansas. It's called Bayou Bartholomew, and contained in its approximately 364 miles is a natural wonder that's older than the Louisiana Purchase!
According to Only In Your State, Bayou Bartholomew is the home of Louisiana's famous "Castle Tree." Since it's located deep within the bayou, it's only accessible by water. Luckily, you can rent kayaks and canoes from the Chemin-A-Haut State Park located on the edge of the bayou. Thankfully, you won't have to paddle the entire 300+ miles to see the incredible Castle Tree.
The Castle Tree is huge, measuring approximately 20 feet in diameter - making it one of the biggest in the state. It's also very very old. Experts put the age of this tree somewhere between 800 and 1,000-years-old. To put that into perspective, the Louisiana Purchase is a mere 219-years-old and the United States of America is only 245-years-old. Not only does the Castle Tree predate our entire country, it was growing here 530 years before Christopher Columbus even saw North America!
If you'd like to take your family and/or friends to check out this beautiful piece of living history, you're in luck! Chemin-A-Haut State Park is only a 2 to 3 hour road trip from Shreveport!