Cane River National Heritage Trail
Cane River National Heritage Trail is a State Scenic Byway in Louisiana. Within Louisiana it covers roughly 80 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Cane River National Heritage Trail with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
This trail follows the Cane River around Natchitoches, the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase territory, founded in 1714. Its brick-paved historic district stood in for the town in the film "Steel Magnolias," and the surrounding Creole plantations of Melrose and Oakland preserve a distinctive French and Creole heritage. Spanish moss and the slow Cane River define the landscape.
- historic Natchitoches
- Cane River Creole plantations
- Melrose & Oakland
- "Steel Magnolias" town
- oldest LA settlement
Plan a drive on Cane River National Heritage Trail →
What is a State Scenic Byway?
State Scenic Byways are roads a state has formally recognized for their scenic, natural, historic or cultural value — each state's own curated collection of drives worth taking slowly.