Mile 96.3 - LBD Old New Orleans Power Plant
96.3 LBD Old New Orleans Power Plant
Due to neglect, a remarkable green space has been created below the Old New Orleans Power Plant, with a sandy landing and willows behind you. This very skinny bar (10-50 feet wide depending on water level) appears at all water levels below flood stage in a protected place below the old power house on the East Bank near mile 97. Look for the two tall smokestacks in rusty old remnant of a power plant that looks something like a classic Mississippi River steamboat plowing down the river silhouetted by darkness. Was this designed to look like a steamboat? It appears to be so by its bulky shape and double smokestacks.
Open only to the water, this sandbar & tiny greenspace is protected from behind by train tracks and the power plant. The power plant is protected from surrounding neighborhoods by a tall chain link fence with concertina wire. This bar would make a great camp, safe and separate from any intruders, at least for the time being. However plans may be afoot to convert this old relic into the next urban renewal project. Good camping now (2015/2016). But future paddlers might find the scene to be much different in upcoming years.