June 25, 2024
Call us crazy but even though I felt like I was going to pass out and my husband sweated more than I even thought possible on the trail the day before, we headed back out for another ride. This time we headed across the ferry to Algiers Point and the Mississippi River Trail. Yes, it appears this trail has the same name as part of the trail we rode yesterday just on the South bank of the river this time. Our hotel was conveniently only about a 5 minute bike from the ferry terminal. The ferry tickets are $3 per person for unlimited rides for 24 hours. It was the shortest ferry ride I’ve ever been on, less than 10 minutes to cross the Mississippi. The ferry has nice bike racks to park your bike while crossing and it was a very common thing to do.
The trail starts in the parking lot of the ferry terminal once you arrive at Algiers. We started by going left out of the parking lot, or East for those who are not directionally challenged like me. The trail is up on a levee again with a large embankment on one side. You ride along side the Mississippi River and sit above the streets of Algiers thanks to the levee. We rode 6.5 miles to where the trail ends and turns to gravel at the lower Algiers Ferry terminal which was out of service during our visit. We then turned around and headed back in the same direction we came. The trail continues another 3 miles past the starting point of the main ferry terminal and ends at Huey P Long Ave where the Jefferson Memorial stands. This arch was built in 1923 to honor the veterans of the Jefferson Parish who served in all wars.
We then ventured through the streets to explore the neighborhood and most importantly buy another water bottle from a nearby gas station. No surprise here but it was just as hot as the ride was the previous day, but luckily quite a bit shorter. This southwest direction of the trail was filled with more industrial type buildings and ship loading docks. But you do get to go under the Crescent City Connection double bridge which offers a great photo stop. We then hustled back to the terminal to make the next ferry because they only leave every half hour. On the New Orleans side, the ferry leaves at 15 and 45 minutes past each hour. On the Algiers side, it’s at the top and half hour.
Honestly, and we probably sound like weenies at this point, but we were sick of the heat. Otherwise, I would have like to stick around and explore the town a little more. From our quick tour, there are cute and artsy shops, bars and restaurants.
Overall this side of the Mississippi River Trail was a smooth, nicely maintained, easy 20 mile ride. I would highly recommend this for families. It was very simple to navigate the ferry and Algiers point is worth the visit. This seemed like a popular commuting trail and was a bit busier than our ride the previous day. An added bonus is the great skylines views of downtown New Orleans. That view and the bridge view is worth the ferry ride in itself.
Fun Facts
- Algiers is the second oldest neighborhood in New Orleans, established in 1719 originally as a plantation.
- The ferry route was created in 1827 and currently has a population of 2300 people
- Keep an eye out for a large statue of Louis Armstrong shortly after taking a right out of the ferry parking lot. This marks the start of the Jazz Walk of Fame which is a series of 17 lampposts that have some info about local jazz legends. Sadly, many of the lampposts were broken or faded making the text difficult to read
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