Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Overlook
3947 N Causeway Blvd, Metairie, LA
Metairie, LA
The southern landing of the longest continuous bridge over water on Earth, where twin spans run out across the lake until they vanish over the horizon.
The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is the longest continuous bridge over water in the world, a pair of parallel spans that run for close to twenty-four miles straight across the lake, connecting the New Orleans area to the north shore in St. Tammany Parish. At its southern landing in Metairie, the lakefront opens wide, and you can stand at the foot of the bridge and watch the twin roadways run out over the water until they drop below the horizon.
Lake Pontchartrain is not really a lake but a broad, shallow, brackish estuary, an arm of the Gulf of Mexico that borders New Orleans on the north. Its huge open surface gives the city its biggest skies, and the Causeway's southern overlook is a fine place to feel that openness, a stretch of breeze, water, and horizon just minutes from the crowded streets of the metro area.
What Guests Love
- Standing at the foot of the world's longest continuous over-water bridge
- Wide, open lakefront views where the twin spans run out until they disappear over the horizon
- Sunsets and big skies over Lake Pontchartrain
- A breezy, watery counterpoint to the dense streets of nearby New Orleans
Worth Knowing
- The overlook is about the lakefront view and the bridge; the crossing itself is a long drive over open water
- Lakefront weather can be windy, and storms can move in quickly over the water
- There is no swimming here; the appeal is the view, the breeze, and the scale of the bridge
- Sunrise and sunset light are the most rewarding times to visit
Details
Metairie, LA
Learn about Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Overlook
A bridge across an inland sea
The Causeway's first span opened in the 1950s, with a second parallel span added in the 1960s to carry the growing traffic between New Orleans and the north shore. For decades it has been recognized as the longest continuous bridge over water anywhere, so long that from the middle of the crossing a driver can lose sight of land in every direction, with nothing but lake and sky ahead and behind.
The bridge transformed the region, opening the piney, small-town north shore of St. Tammany Parish to commuters and turning towns like Mandeville and Covington into bedroom communities of New Orleans. What had been a long drive around the lake or a ferry ride became a straight shot across it, and the Causeway remains one of the defining pieces of engineering in southern Louisiana.
The lake that is really an estuary
Lake Pontchartrain is technically an estuary, a broad, shallow basin of brackish water connected to the Gulf of Mexico through tidal passes. It covers a huge area but is only a handful of feet deep across much of its expanse, which is part of why a bridge of pilings could be run straight across it. The mix of fresh river water and salt Gulf water makes it a rich nursery for fish, shrimp, and crabs.
The lake has long shaped life around it. Native peoples of the delta fished and traveled its shores for thousands of years, and the Choctaw, Houma, and others knew its waters well. In the city's history the lakefront has served as a place of fishing camps, amusement, and recreation, and today it remains where New Orleanians go to catch a breeze off the water on a hot day.
Wildlife and weather over the water
The lake and its lakefront draw a steady show of birdlife. Brown pelicans, the state bird, glide low over the water and plunge for fish, while gulls, terns, herons, and egrets work the shallows and shoreline. In cooler months waterfowl gather on the open lake, and dolphins occasionally follow the salt water in from the Gulf side.
Because the lake is so large and open, weather here is dramatic. Sea breezes cool the shore on summer afternoons, thunderheads pile up over the water, and the flat expanse makes for enormous sunrises and sunsets. It is also why the lake is watched closely during hurricane season, when storm surge pushed across its shallow basin has historically threatened the low-lying city on its southern shore.
Visiting the lakefront
The overlook at the Causeway's southern end is a simple pleasure: a place to park near the water, feel the wind, and take in the scale of the bridge and the lake. Come near sunrise or sunset for the best light, when the low sun sets the water and the long line of the bridge aglow. Bring a jacket if it is breezy, as the lakefront runs cooler than the sheltered city streets.
From here you can make the full crossing to the north shore, a genuinely memorable drive over open water to the wooded towns of St. Tammany Parish. Or you can simply enjoy the lakefront as a quick escape from New Orleans, a wide-open horizon only minutes from the density of Metairie and the city beyond.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Metairie
New Orleans lakefront
A few miles east
A stretch of parks, marinas, and levee-top paths along the southern shore of Lake Pontchartrain, popular for walking and fishing.
Metairie
At the bridge's foot
A large suburb of New Orleans with restaurants and shopping, a convenient base near the lakefront.
New Orleans French Quarter
About 8 miles
The historic core of the city, with Jackson Square, iron balconies, and the St. Louis Cathedral.
St. Tammany north shore
Across the Causeway
The piney, small-town northern shore, with Mandeville and Covington and their bayou-side trails and towns.