A treasure in the heart of Louisiana, Kisatchie is the state's only national forest. It spreads across seven parishes and is divided into five Ranger Districts totaling over 604,000 acres. Each district boasts a unique set of wildlife and recreational opportunities.
The forest has more than 40 developed recreation sites. Over 100 miles of multi-use equestrian, biking and hiking trails traverse across rolling hills. Distances vary from 1/2 mile to nearly 30 miles. Backpackers love the 27-mile Wild Azalea National Recreation Trail. It begins at the Valentine Lake Recreation Area and ends at Woodworth Town Hall.
Calcasieu and Catahoula districts are especially attractive to mountain bikers. The Camp Livingston Trail Complex is open to off-road vehicles and bikes. Ki
A treasure in the heart of Louisiana, Kisatchie is the state's only national forest. It spreads across seven parishes and is divided into five Ranger Districts totaling over 604,000 acres. Each district boasts a unique set of wildlife and recreational opportunities.
The forest has more than 40 developed recreation sites. Over 100 miles of multi-use equestrian, biking and hiking trails traverse across rolling hills. Distances vary from 1/2 mile to nearly 30 miles. Backpackers love the 27-mile Wild Azalea National Recreation Trail. It begins at the Valentine Lake Recreation Area and ends at Woodworth Town Hall.
Calcasieu and Catahoula districts are especially attractive to mountain bikers. The Camp Livingston Trail Complex is open to off-road vehicles and bikes. Kisatchie's many lakes, bayous, and reservoirs offer plentiful choices for boating, fishing and swimming. 40 established campgrounds and lots of backcountry camping opportunities ensure you've got a place to sleep.
Make basecamp at Highway 472 Camp for all your epic hunting adventures. Settle in for a few days as you focus on catching some serious game. Take advantage of the beautiful Kisatchie National Forest by car or foot, whatever mode of transport you prefer. The deeper you go, the more beautiful it gets! You might never want to leave!Read more...
Fancy yourself a little lakeside retreat? Why not send yourself and the crew on a well deserved getaway to Stuart Lake Campground? This is a small and pleasant spot at Stuart Lake Recreation Area surrounded by woods and hiking trails. Spend your days swimming, fishing, cruising in your non-motorized boat, and exploring the surrounding countryside. Read more...
Get out and find some peace and quiet at for a change! The Custis Campground is a designated hunters camp within the Red Dirt Wildlife Management Preserve, but you can visit any time of year, hunting season or not, and enjoy some primitive camping to unplug and reset in the forest. Read more...
Treat yourself to some eye-candy and marvel at some of Mother Nature’s finest when you visit the Kisatchie Bayou Campground, a primitive, walk-in style tent campground. You must bring your own water here, and while you're at it, throw in some other goodies to make it a special getaway. Spend your days admiring the bayou and the old growth trees. T Read more...
Craving some adrenaline with your next camping trip? Well if you have an offroad vehicle or a trusty mountain bike then you best be checking out the Lotus Camp for the perfect mix of outdoor camping for tenters and RVers. Enjoy nightly campfires and family feasts at the picnic table, along with all the off road action you could want on the nearby Read more...
Sometimes you just want a break from your vehicle to better experience the outdoors. Walk-in tent camping is the perfect way to get some space without slogging too far with your gear. Red Bluff Camp within the National Red Dirt Wildlife Management Preserve is just the place. Here you walk a quarter mile in to find tent camping near the Kisatchie B Read more...
Time for a little reboot? Some primitive tent camping will fix ya right up. Come down to the Bankston Camp to pitch your tent, and then get to relaxing, exploring, and more relaxing. This primitive campground is next to the Catahoula National Wildlife Management Preserve, so you might be able to get a glimpse of some wildlife while you are there, Read more...
Make it easy on yourself this hunting season by scoring a spot at the Pearson Camp. This designated hunters camp has easy access from Alexandria and the U. S. Highway 167, so you can set up in no time to enjoy the good stuff. Expect very primitive camping here, and leave all the fancy developed campgrounds for the wussies. Read more...
Tent camping in the woods—sometimes that’s all you need. If you are a hunter then you will especially like the Saddle Bayou Camp located near the Catahoula National Wildlife Management Preserve. The primitive campground surrounded by hardwood trees is an easy place to rest yourself under the stars after days of tracking wildlife in the wilderness. Read more...
There’s some camping in them there hills! Gum Springs Campground that is. Set in the hilly terrain of Gum Springs Recreation Complex, this basic spot welcomes tents or RVs to enjoy the scenery of the area, picnic among the spring filled landscape, and hike around the countryside. Grab the fam and come on down!Read more...
Come one come all. . . even the four-legged friends! Horses are the guests of honor at Gum Springs Horse Camp and Trail in the Kisatchie National Forest. A very popular destination for riders from Louisianna, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, Gum Springs is just a hop, skip, and jump from Natchitoches. Plan a trip this summer to explore what many Read more...
Rev up your engines and head down to Loran Claiborne Trailhead Campground for a wild weekend with your ATV or motorcycle by your side. The multi use trails around camp will take you out to explore the area of Old Camp Claiborne which was once a WWII training camp for half a million troops. Now it has become your adventure junkie playground. Spend Read more...
Calling all Louisiana backpackers, here is the place for you! Come to the Kisatchie Wilderness Area and explore some of the most unique land in the state. How about blazing through 8,700-acres of rugged and steep landscape with sandstone bluffs, mesas, many different types of forest, and wildlife galore? The only development around is the trail sy Read more...
Outdoor lovers of all types might like a stay at the Coyote Camp. It is within the Red Dirt Wildlife Management Preserve, and is a designated hunter camp when in season, so hunters will fancy it as a homebase for their expeditions. It is near the Sandstone Trail System so off roaders and mountain bikers will enjoy some shredding on the trails. Any Read more...
Time to get a little dirty with a camping trip to Oak Camp within the National Red Dirt Wildlife Management Preserve. If you are a hunter then you will especially appreciate this primitive, designated hunters camp. Horse back riders and general nature lovers can also get in on this action, there is plenty of natural goodness to go around. The best Read more...
Kincaid Lake Campground is a modern, forested paradise, complete with a fishing pier, swimming, area, and boat launch. Pitch your tent by the shore and prepare to relive your summer camp experience of days gone by. Be sure to pack your fishing rod and your fry pan—Kincaid Lake is hoppin’ with fish. Read more...
Time to get revved up because your are heading out for a camping and off-roading trip! The Corral Camp is the place to access to the Sandstone Multi-use Trail System and the Red Dirt Wildlife Management Preserve. This primitive campground is not for horses, but feel free to bring your off-road vehicle or mountain bike, and your RV or trailer as we Read more...
If you’re into roughin’ it, than Evangeline Camp will be your personal paradise. Lose yourself in the primitive forest with your trekking poles, cruise the dusty trails in your OHV, and pitch your tent under a towering canopy of trees. There are miles and miles of rugged hiking trails that take you through a land that time forgot. You’ll find mead Read more...
Kisatchie National Forest
Soak up big views at the 10 campgrounds in Kisatchie Ranger District, a.k.a. "Little Grand Canyon."
A treasure in the heart of Louisiana, Kisatchie is the state's only national forest. It spreads across seven parishes and is divided into five Ranger Districts totaling over 604,000 acres. Each district boasts a unique set of wildlife and recreational opportunities.
The forest has more than 40 developed recreation sites. Over 100 miles of multi-use equestrian, biking and hiking trails traverse across rolling hills. Distances vary from 1/2 mile to nearly 30 miles. Backpackers love the 27-mile Wild Azalea National Recreation Trail. It begins at the Valentine Lake Recreation Area and ends at Woodworth Town Hall.
Calcasieu and Catahoula districts are especially attractive to mountain bikers. The Camp Livingston Trail Complex is open to off-road vehicles and bikes. Ki
A treasure in the heart of Louisiana, Kisatchie is the state's only national forest. It spreads across seven parishes and is divided into five Ranger Districts totaling over 604,000 acres. Each district boasts a unique set of wildlife and recreational opportunities.
The forest has more than 40 developed recreation sites. Over 100 miles of multi-use equestrian, biking and hiking trails traverse across rolling hills. Distances vary from 1/2 mile to nearly 30 miles. Backpackers love the 27-mile Wild Azalea National Recreation Trail. It begins at the Valentine Lake Recreation Area and ends at Woodworth Town Hall.
Calcasieu and Catahoula districts are especially attractive to mountain bikers. The Camp Livingston Trail Complex is open to off-road vehicles and bikes. Kisatchie's many lakes, bayous, and reservoirs offer plentiful choices for boating, fishing and swimming. 40 established campgrounds and lots of backcountry camping opportunities ensure you've got a place to sleep.
Activities in the park
34 campgrounds in Kisatchie National Forest
Make basecamp at Highway 472 Camp for all your epic hunting adventures. Settle in for a few days as you focus on catching some serious game. Take advantage of the beautiful Kisatchie National Forest by car or foot, whatever mode of transport you prefer. The deeper you go, the more beautiful it gets! You might never want to leave!Read more...
Fancy yourself a little lakeside retreat? Why not send yourself and the crew on a well deserved getaway to Stuart Lake Campground? This is a small and pleasant spot at Stuart Lake Recreation Area surrounded by woods and hiking trails. Spend your days swimming, fishing, cruising in your non-motorized boat, and exploring the surrounding countryside. Read more...
Get out and find some peace and quiet at for a change! The Custis Campground is a designated hunters camp within the Red Dirt Wildlife Management Preserve, but you can visit any time of year, hunting season or not, and enjoy some primitive camping to unplug and reset in the forest. Read more...
Treat yourself to some eye-candy and marvel at some of Mother Nature’s finest when you visit the Kisatchie Bayou Campground, a primitive, walk-in style tent campground. You must bring your own water here, and while you're at it, throw in some other goodies to make it a special getaway. Spend your days admiring the bayou and the old growth trees. T Read more...
Craving some adrenaline with your next camping trip? Well if you have an offroad vehicle or a trusty mountain bike then you best be checking out the Lotus Camp for the perfect mix of outdoor camping for tenters and RVers. Enjoy nightly campfires and family feasts at the picnic table, along with all the off road action you could want on the nearby Read more...
Sometimes you just want a break from your vehicle to better experience the outdoors. Walk-in tent camping is the perfect way to get some space without slogging too far with your gear. Red Bluff Camp within the National Red Dirt Wildlife Management Preserve is just the place. Here you walk a quarter mile in to find tent camping near the Kisatchie B Read more...
Time for a little reboot? Some primitive tent camping will fix ya right up. Come down to the Bankston Camp to pitch your tent, and then get to relaxing, exploring, and more relaxing. This primitive campground is next to the Catahoula National Wildlife Management Preserve, so you might be able to get a glimpse of some wildlife while you are there, Read more...
Make it easy on yourself this hunting season by scoring a spot at the Pearson Camp. This designated hunters camp has easy access from Alexandria and the U. S. Highway 167, so you can set up in no time to enjoy the good stuff. Expect very primitive camping here, and leave all the fancy developed campgrounds for the wussies. Read more...
Tent camping in the woods—sometimes that’s all you need. If you are a hunter then you will especially like the Saddle Bayou Camp located near the Catahoula National Wildlife Management Preserve. The primitive campground surrounded by hardwood trees is an easy place to rest yourself under the stars after days of tracking wildlife in the wilderness. Read more...
There’s some camping in them there hills! Gum Springs Campground that is. Set in the hilly terrain of Gum Springs Recreation Complex, this basic spot welcomes tents or RVs to enjoy the scenery of the area, picnic among the spring filled landscape, and hike around the countryside. Grab the fam and come on down!Read more...
Come one come all. . . even the four-legged friends! Horses are the guests of honor at Gum Springs Horse Camp and Trail in the Kisatchie National Forest. A very popular destination for riders from Louisianna, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, Gum Springs is just a hop, skip, and jump from Natchitoches. Plan a trip this summer to explore what many Read more...
Rev up your engines and head down to Loran Claiborne Trailhead Campground for a wild weekend with your ATV or motorcycle by your side. The multi use trails around camp will take you out to explore the area of Old Camp Claiborne which was once a WWII training camp for half a million troops. Now it has become your adventure junkie playground. Spend Read more...
Calling all Louisiana backpackers, here is the place for you! Come to the Kisatchie Wilderness Area and explore some of the most unique land in the state. How about blazing through 8,700-acres of rugged and steep landscape with sandstone bluffs, mesas, many different types of forest, and wildlife galore? The only development around is the trail sy Read more...
Outdoor lovers of all types might like a stay at the Coyote Camp. It is within the Red Dirt Wildlife Management Preserve, and is a designated hunter camp when in season, so hunters will fancy it as a homebase for their expeditions. It is near the Sandstone Trail System so off roaders and mountain bikers will enjoy some shredding on the trails. Any Read more...
Time to get a little dirty with a camping trip to Oak Camp within the National Red Dirt Wildlife Management Preserve. If you are a hunter then you will especially appreciate this primitive, designated hunters camp. Horse back riders and general nature lovers can also get in on this action, there is plenty of natural goodness to go around. The best Read more...
Kincaid Lake Campground is a modern, forested paradise, complete with a fishing pier, swimming, area, and boat launch. Pitch your tent by the shore and prepare to relive your summer camp experience of days gone by. Be sure to pack your fishing rod and your fry pan—Kincaid Lake is hoppin’ with fish. Read more...
Time to get revved up because your are heading out for a camping and off-roading trip! The Corral Camp is the place to access to the Sandstone Multi-use Trail System and the Red Dirt Wildlife Management Preserve. This primitive campground is not for horses, but feel free to bring your off-road vehicle or mountain bike, and your RV or trailer as we Read more...
If you’re into roughin’ it, than Evangeline Camp will be your personal paradise. Lose yourself in the primitive forest with your trekking poles, cruise the dusty trails in your OHV, and pitch your tent under a towering canopy of trees. There are miles and miles of rugged hiking trails that take you through a land that time forgot. You’ll find mead Read more...