Fontainebleau State Park LA is a 2,800-acre state park on Lake Pontchartrain’s north shore in Mandeville, about 35 minutes east of Fireside RV Resort in Ponchatoula via I-12. Day-use entry at Fontainebleau State Park is $3 per person, and Louisiana State Parks lets seniors 62 and older and kids 3 and under in free. You get a sandy beach, a pier over the lake, brick sugar mill ruins and a 4.8-mile hiking trail.
Plenty of Fireside campers make the drive, especially once fall shows up. It makes an easy half-day or full-day trip, and you’re back at camp with daylight left for the fire ring. Here’s what’s worth your time, what it costs, and one trail closure to know about before you load the bikes.
- Where: 62883 Hwy. 1089, Mandeville, LA 70448
- Drive from Fireside: about 35 minutes, I-12 East to Exit 63
- Best for: beach walks, the pier at sunset, hiking, birding and a little Louisiana history
- Heads up: the Tammany Trace bridge over Bayou Castine in Mandeville is closed through May 2027
What is there to do at Fontainebleau State Park?
Fontainebleau State Park mixes a lakefront beach, hiking, birding and plantation-era history in one stop. Water wraps the park on three sides: Lake Pontchartrain, Bayou Cane and Bayou Castine. Start at the lakefront, then hit a trail or the sugar mill ruins before lunch.
- Beach and pier. Fontainebleau State Park has a sandy beach with a pier reaching out over Lake Pontchartrain. Walk the pier late in the day; the sunsets over that open water are hard to beat.
- Hiking. The 4.8-mile hiking trail at Fontainebleau State Park is the big one, and a shorter nature trail suits little legs.
- Sugar mill ruins. Bernard de Marigny de Mandeville, who founded the town of Mandeville, ran a sugar operation here, and his sugar mill was built in 1829. Marigny named his land Fontainebleau after the forest near Paris.
- Birds and wildlife. According to Louisiana State Parks, more than 400 species live in and around Fontainebleau. Bring binoculars!
- Picnics and play. Fontainebleau State Park has a picnic area, a pavilion and a playground, so lunch is easy.
Folks across St. Tammany Parish love this place, and Visit The Northshore says it best: “Fontainebleau State Park in Mandeville is Louisiana’s most visited, and for good reason.”
How much does Fontainebleau State Park cost?
Fontainebleau State Park charges $3 per person for day use, per Louisiana State Parks. Visitors 62 and older pay nothing, and so do children 3 and under. For a few dollars a head, you get the beach, the trails and the ruins for the whole day.
Fontainebleau State Park’s gates open at 7 a.m. Planning to stay for sunset? Call the Fontainebleau park office at (985) 624-4443 to confirm closing time first.
How far is Fontainebleau State Park from Ponchatoula?
Fontainebleau State Park is about 35 minutes east of Fireside RV Resort. Exit 47 on I-12 is roughly a mile from Fireside RV Resort, so the drive is mostly interstate plus a stretch of U.S. 190 through Mandeville. Unhook and take the truck; parking a car is a whole lot easier than parking a big rig.
- Leave Fireside RV Resort and get on I-12 East at Exit 47.
- Exit at I-12 Exit 63 for U.S. 190 toward Covington and Mandeville.
- Follow U.S. 190 East through Mandeville.
- Turn onto Highway 1089 and follow it to the park entrance.
Want a full day? These Mandeville stops sit close together, so you can stack two or three.
The Mandeville Trailhead Market makes a good Saturday-morning warm-up before the state park. Afterward, the City of Mandeville’s lakefront park, about one mile in length, is a nice cool-down walk.
Can you bike the Tammany Trace into Fontainebleau right now?
Not from Mandeville this season. St. Tammany Parish closed Tammany Trace Bridge #13 over Bayou Castine, between Rapatel Street and Group Camp Road in Mandeville, from October 12, 2026 through May 2027 so crews can replace it. The parish says no detour is available around the Bridge #13 work.
St. Tammany Parish has paved 31 miles of the Tammany Trace along an old railroad line. Louisiana State Parks notes that the old railroad track through Fontainebleau State Park is now part of the Tammany Trace, so in a normal year you could pedal from Mandeville right into the park. For now, drive into Fontainebleau and ride or walk inside it instead. St. Tammany Parish also lists Tammany Trace Bridge #14, between Molitor Street and Dupre Street in Mandeville, as closed through early 2027, with a detour on Montgomery Street. Peek at the Tammany Trace closures page before you go, since bridge timelines can shift.
When should you visit Fontainebleau State Park?
Fall and early winter are the sweet spot for a Fontainebleau day trip. The NOAA 1991-2020 normals for the Slidell Airport station in St. Tammany Parish put the average October high at 80.5°F and the average November high at 71.0°F. That’s comfortable hiking weather, not sweat-through-your-shirt weather.
Mornings turn crisp, too. Slidell Airport’s average November low is 46.7°F in those same NOAA normals, so bring a layer if you’re catching sunrise on the pier. Summer still works for the beach, but plan to finish the trails before the afternoon heat sets in.
Where should you stay near Fontainebleau State Park?
For a Fontainebleau trip, Fireside RV Resort makes a handy Ponchatoula home base, close enough for an easy out-and-back. Fireside’s 165 RV sites all come with full hookups (water, sewer and 30/50-amp electric), and Fireside keeps 10 cabins for folks traveling without a camper. After a day at the state park, you come back to a quiet, wooded resort with plenty to do.
So what makes the best base for a Fontainebleau trip? Easy interstate access, room for any rig and no surprises on the bill, if you ask us. Here’s the short version for Fireside:
- Straight pricing. Fireside skips the junk fees: no reservation service fee, no resort fee and nothing extra for a site lock. You pick your own site on the map for free.
- Resort amenities. Floating the lazy river is included with any Fireside RV Resort stay, and so is pool time, adults-only pool included. The swim-up bar runs seasonally.
- Cabins, no RV required. Fireside’s cabins are $165 per night year-round. You’ll bring linens and towels, someone in your group must be 21 or older, and Fireside adds a one-time $18 cleaning fee.
- Bring the pup. Fireside welcomes pets at RV sites, with a leash limit of 6 feet. The cabins are pet-free.
- The little things. Free Wi-Fi across the resort, a camp store, laundry, a playground and a lakeside fishing dock.
Fall is a fun time to be here, too. The remaining 2026 Halloween Spooktacular Saturdays at Fireside are October 17, 24 and 31, with hayrides, trick-or-treating, a jambalaya cook-off, pumpkin carving, live music and a costume contest. Then on November 7, 2026, Fireside’s Veterans Day Weekend brings an LSU vs. Alabama watch party, halftime fireworks and Na Na Sha playing live. The whole lineup is on our events page.
Rates get friendlier as it cools off. From November through March, a standard Fireside RV site costs $55 a night and a premium site costs $65. In November and December, Fireside’s Sunday-through-Wednesday special knocks standard sites down to $35 a night and premium sites to $45, holidays excluded. AARP and Good Sam members, military guests and guests 65 and older can also take 10% off, though Fireside’s discounts can’t be combined. Check Fireside’s rates for your dates.
What should you pack for a Fontainebleau day trip?
Pack light, but pack smart. The lake breeze can feel cooler than the forecast, and the beach doesn’t offer much shade.
- Water and a picnic lunch
- Bug spray and sunscreen, even in October
- Binoculars for the birds
- A light jacket for the pier at sunset
- Shoes you don’t mind getting muddy on the trail
- A Louisiana fishing license if you plan to fish from the pier (check Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries rules first)
Frequently Asked Questions
Fontainebleau State Park is at 62883 Hwy. 1089 in Mandeville, Louisiana, on Lake Pontchartrain. The Fontainebleau park office phone number is (985) 624-4443. Fontainebleau State Park is about 35 minutes east of Fireside RV Resort in Ponchatoula.
Fontainebleau State Park has a sandy beach on Lake Pontchartrain, and the Louisiana Department of Health samples the water there during its beach monitoring season. In fall and winter, the Fontainebleau beach is better for a walk than a swim. Check current Louisiana Department of Health beach advisories before anyone gets in the water.
Fontainebleau State Park sits on land where Bernard de Marigny de Mandeville, the founder of Mandeville, ran a sugar plantation. Marigny’s sugar mill was built in 1829, and its brick ruins still stand in the park.
Fireside RV Resort has 10 cabins in Ponchatoula, about 35 minutes from Fontainebleau State Park. Fireside cabins cost $165 a night year-round, and guests bring their own linens and towels. Pets and smoking aren’t allowed in Fireside cabins.
Fireside RV Resort in Ponchatoula, a short drive from Fontainebleau State Park, has 165 RV sites, each with full hookups, including 30-amp and 50-amp electric. Fireside offers pull-thru, double and triple sites, and you can pick your site on the map for free.
Ready to go? Fontainebleau State Park is about 35 minutes east of Fireside RV Resort via I-12, close enough to spend the day on Lake Pontchartrain and still be back for supper. Pick your dates and grab an RV site or cabin, and we’ll save you a seat by the campfire.
