BIKE
• Pedal 31 scenic miles of converted railroad through wooded areas, historic towns and Fountainebleau State Park. www.tammanytrace.org.
• From Audubon Park, follow the Mississippi River on the two-lane, 80-mile paved Levee path from downtown to Baton Rouge. Visit GNO Cyclery for tips and gear. 504-861-0023; www.gnocyclery.com.
• Cruise Lake Shore Drive’s controlled traffic lane on weekends. Find your ride at Bayou Bicyles. 504-488-1946; http://bayoubicycles.com.
• For great scenery from levee hurricane heights, ride nine miles roundtrip on the Bayou Savage Bikeway next to Lake Pontchartrain.
• Bike the waterless floodgate between Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi. 985-764-0126. For group rides at the Spillway or out of town, check out www.nomambo.com.


PADDLE
• Canoe or kayak the scenic bayous, swamps and wetlands of the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge. www.laidbacktours.com.
• Get away from it all by paddling out to Mississippi’s Horn Island for a weekend in a remote beach refuge in the Gulf Islands National Seashore. 850-934-2600; www.nps.gov/guis/.
• Before steering in and out of countless bay inlets, venture north for sea kayaking instruction with Covington’s SouthCoast Kayaks. 985-867-9530; www.southcoastkayaks.com.
• Float the Bogue Chitto River or Pearl River through beautiful southern swampland. 985-795-2004; www.canoelariver.com.
• Get lost on the paddle trails in Atchafalaya Basin. Explore broad rivers, twisting bayous and remote lakes along the Bayou Pigeon Trail. Visit Pack and Paddle for more info. 337-232-5854; www.packpaddle.com.
• Listen to the rippling water and night sounds while paddling by moonlight in the Lousiana swamp. 504-834-5257; www.canoeandtrail.com.
• Play on Lake Pontchartrain’s north shore. Go solo and hook up with Compass Rose’s group paddles. 985-871-7989; www.compassrosescuba.com.


RUN
• Train for the Crescent City Classic with laps around the 2.5-mile Arboretum Trail in City Park. www.neworleanscitypark.com.
• For traffic- and stoplight-free route, go across the lake for a section along the 31-mile Tammany Trace Rail-Trail. www.tammanytrace.org. Stop by Legends Sports World for running shoes and apparel. 985-626-9448; www.legendssportsworld.com.
• Set a goal to finish the 5K Symphony Run and enjoy the after-race performance of the Louisiana Philharmonic Symphony.
• Get out for regular runs on the roadways in Audubon Park.

• Pace yourself for the endless miles heading upstream on the Mississippi Levee Path. Stop by Southern Runner for tips. 504-891-9999; www.southernrunner.com.


HIKE/CAMP
• After walking the beach all day, fall asleep to the sound of waves crashing on the shoreline. Get sandy with beach camping at Grand Isle State Park. 888-787-2559; www.crt.state.la.us.
• Learn the outdoor skills to paddle, hike and camp Louisiana. 504-834-5257; www.canoeandtrail.com.
• Only miles from the city, dabble with the great outdoors in the woodlands and wetlands at the not-so-rustic, fully outfitted St. Bernard State Park. 888-677-7823; www.lastateparks.com.
• Find some of the south’s best trails at Mississippi’s Clear Springs Recreation Area. Hike or mountain bike the pine covered hills and ridges in Homochitto National Forest. 601-384-5876; www.fs.fed.us.
• Just over Mississippi border, descend 400 feet to several waterfalls along the area’s most impressive trail. www.mdwfp.com.
• A few hours north, backpack the 41-mile Black Creek Trail through diverse hardwood woodlands and tea-colored streams in the 378,538-acre De Soto National Forest. Fill your pack at Massey’s Outfitters. 800-754-7467; www.masseys.net.
• Pitch your tent and spend the weekend across the lake at Fairview Riverside State Park. 888-677-3247; www.lastateparks.com/bayouseg/byusegne.htm.
• Camp streamside in the hardwood forest of Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge. www.fws.gov/boguechitto.