Destinations
Louisiana outdoors
Louisiana trades mountains for water: cypress swamps, a 604,000-acre national forest, and 20-plus state parks where alligators outnumber crowds.
Top parks in Louisiana
See all 38 parksChicot State Park
Louisiana's backpacking standout: a 20-mile trail looping the 2,000-acre Lake Chicot through bottomland hardwood forest and cypress swamp, with backcountry sites, a big improved campground, deluxe cabins, and the adjacent Louisiana State Arboretum.
Fontainebleau State Park
Louisiana's most-visited state park, on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain near Mandeville: a sandy swimming beach, the brick ruins of an 1829 sugar mill under live oaks, birding trails, cabins, and a large campground that connects straight to the 31-mile Tammany Trace.
Bogue Chitto State Park
This 2,593-acre park along a scenic river system offers diverse habitats, 25 miles of mountain bike trails, equestrian trails, cabins, camping, fishing and tubing.
Grand Isle State Park
On a Gulf barrier island at the edge of Louisiana, this park offers surf fishing, swimming, crabbing, hiking, boating and birding along a beach and lagoons.
Palmetto Island State Park
On the Vermilion River, this park offers a boat launch, interior lagoons for paddling, a nature trail, cabins, camping and a water playground.
Lake Fausse Pointe State Park
This 6,000-acre park in the Atchafalaya Basin offers fishing, boating, canoeing, three nature trails, a canoe trail, backcountry campsites and lakefront cabins.
Tickfaw State Park
Boardwalk trails through this park cross four ecosystems along the Tickfaw River, with a nature center, cabins, camping, paddling and a water playground.
Poverty Point Reservoir State Park
Centered on a 2,700-acre man-made lake, this park offers fishing, boating, a marina, a nature trail, waterfront cabins, lodges, camping and a water playground.
Audubon State Historic Site
This historic site preserves Oakley House, the circa 1806 plantation home where artist John James Audubon completed bird paintings in 1821, set within a 100-acre forest.
Planning a Louisiana trip
Louisiana does not have a national park, and that is part of why its outdoors feels like a secret. This is country built on water. The Atchafalaya Basin is the largest river swamp in America, and most of the best days here are spent on it: paddling cypress-tupelo flats, drifting past egrets and gators, and pulling bass and crappie out of dark, still lakes. Then central Louisiana surprises everyone with actual hills and pine ridges in Kisatchie National Forest, the state's only national forest at 604,000 acres.
If you want a shortlist, start here. Kisatchie is the hiking hub: the Longleaf Vista Interpretive Trail is a friendly 1.5-mile loop with real views over the Kisatchie Hills Wilderness, and the Wild Azalea Trail runs nearly 24 miles as the longest trail in the state (best in spring when the azaleas bloom). Chicot State Park near Ville Platte wraps a 2,000-acre lake stocked with bass, crappie, catfish, and bream, and is the park people mean when they talk about Louisiana fishing. Fontainebleau State Park, on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, is the busiest in the system, with a sandy beach, old sugar-mill ruins, and the paved Tammany Trace bike trail. For swamp immersion, Lake Fausse Pointe offers paddle-in platform camping deep in the Atchafalaya, and Bayou Segnette, just west of New Orleans in Westwego, has floating cabins where you sleep right on the bayou.
Timing matters more here than almost anywhere. Go in fall (October and November) or spring (late February through mid-May). October is the driest month, humidity drops, and the mosquitoes thin out. Fall highs land in the 60s and 70s F, spring afternoons average the mid-to-high 70s F, and mornings start around the low 60s F, so a light layer covers you. Summer (June through September) is hot, humid, and buggy, with mosquitoes peaking at dawn and dusk in the swamps.
What to pack follows straight from the water and the warmth: insect repellent is not optional, and a head net earns its place in summer. Bring quick-drying layers, sun protection for open water, and footwear you do not mind getting muddy. If you are paddling, a dry bag keeps phones and a packable rain shell safe, because afternoon showers move through fast and leave just as quickly.
Getting around Louisiana
Most trips start at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (MSY), the state's main hub. Baton Rouge (BTR) sits about 68 to 88 miles up the interstate, roughly a 1 to 1.5 hour drive. For the Cajun-country parks and the Atchafalaya, Lafayette Regional (LFT) is the closest gateway, about 57 to 63 miles from Baton Rouge (roughly an hour). For the hiking in central and north Louisiana, fly into Alexandria International (AEX), which puts you within 30 to 60 minutes of most Kisatchie National Forest trailheads, or Shreveport Regional (SHV) for the northern reaches.
A car is essential. The parks are spread across the state and rideshare thins out fast once you leave the cities. From New Orleans, Bayou Segnette is the quick win, about 20 minutes west to Westwego, and Fontainebleau is roughly 45 minutes north across Lake Pontchartrain. Push deeper and the distances stretch: Lafayette to Lake Fausse Pointe is about an hour, and Chicot State Park near Ville Platte is roughly 45 minutes north of Lafayette.
The bigger gap is between the swamp country in the south and the pine hills of Kisatchie in the center. Plan on about 2 to 2.5 hours from Lafayette up to the Kisatchie area, and treat them as two separate trips rather than a single loop. Roads are flat and easy, but fuel up before heading into the forest, where services thin out fast.
State park directory
Every Louisiana state park
A source-backed inventory layer for planning breadth. Full Kit Authority guides are marked when a park has camping detail, rules, and packing notes; the rest link straight to the official page.
38 parks
2 full guides · 36 with photos
Chicot State Park
State Park
This 6,400-acre park surrounds Lake Chicot with a hiking and backpacking trail encircling the lake, primitive campsites, cabins, fishing, paddling and boating.
- Camping
- RV Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
Louisiana State Parks
Full guideFontainebleau State Park
State Park
This 2,800-acre park on Lake Pontchartrain features a sandy beach, the Tammany Trace rail-trail, cabins, camping, hiking, fishing, boating and over 400 bird species.
- Camping
- RV Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
Louisiana State Parks
Full guideAudubon State Historic Site
State Historic Site
This historic site preserves Oakley House, the circa 1806 plantation home where artist John James Audubon completed bird paintings in 1821, set within a 100-acre forest.
- Historic Site
- Wildlife Viewing
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageBayou Segnette State Park
State Park
Located a short drive from New Orleans, this park offers boating, fishing, camping, canoeing, hiking and picnicking across swamp and marshland ecosystems.
- Camping
- RV Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageBogue Chitto State Park
State Park
This 2,593-acre park along a scenic river system offers diverse habitats, 25 miles of mountain bike trails, equestrian trails, cabins, camping, fishing and tubing.
- Camping
- RV Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageCentenary State Historic Site
State Historic Site
This site preserves the West Wing dormitory of Centenary College of Louisiana, a school dating to 1826 whose buildings were used by both armies during the Civil War.
- Historic Site
- Hiking
- Wildlife Viewing
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageChemin-A-Haut State Park
State Park
Situated on a high bluff overlooking Bayou Bartholomew, this park offers camping, cabins, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, boating and a swimming pool.
- Camping
- RV Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageCypremort Point State Park
State Park
One of the few Gulf-accessible spots reachable by car, this park has a man-made beach for relaxing, picnicking, fishing, swimming, sailing and boating.
- Camping
- RV Camping
- Cabins
- Fishing
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageFairview-Riverside State Park
State Park
Set beneath oak trees along the Tchefuncte River, this park offers camping, a nature trail, fishing, boating and paddling, plus the historic Otis House Museum.
- Camping
- RV Camping
- Hiking
- Fishing
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageFort Jesup State Historic Site
State Historic Site
Built in 1822 and designated a National Historic Landmark, this site preserves a frontier military post once commanded by Zachary Taylor near the Texas border.
- Historic Site
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageFort Pike State Historic Site
State Historic Site
Completed in 1826 to guard New Orleans, this masonry coastal fort is the first of the Third System fortifications, now closed to the public.
- Historic Site
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageFort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site
State Historic Site
This site is a full-scale replica of the 1716 French fort built at Natchitoches to counter Spanish forces, reconstructed using 18th-century techniques.
- Historic Site
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageForts Randolph & Buhlow State Historic Site
State Historic Site
These Confederate earthen forts on the Red River, completed in 1865, are preserved with a visitor center, boardwalk trails and the remains of Bailey's Dam.
- Historic Site
- Hiking
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageGrand Isle State Park
State Park
On a Gulf barrier island at the edge of Louisiana, this park offers surf fishing, swimming, crabbing, hiking, boating and birding along a beach and lagoons.
- Camping
- RV Camping
- Hiking
- Fishing
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageJimmie Davis State Park
State Park
On a peninsula on Caney Lake, this park offers prime freshwater fishing, boat launches, cabins, lodges, camping, hiking, biking and disc golf.
- Camping
- RV Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageLake Bistineau State Park
State Park
On the western shore of Lake Bistineau, this park offers nearly 10 miles of woodland trails, a canoe trail, fishing, boating, camping, cabins and disc golf.
- Camping
- RV Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageLake Bruin State Park
State Park
With over 3,000 acres of water surface, this park offers freshwater fishing, three fishing piers, boating, paddling, camping, cabins and a water playground.
- Camping
- RV Camping
- Cabins
- Fishing
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageLake Claiborne State Park
State Park
On a 6,400-acre freshwater lake, this park offers a sandy swimming beach, two disc golf courses, nature trails, fishing, boating, camping and cabins.
- Camping
- RV Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageLake D'Arbonne State Park
State Park
On 655 acres with five fishing piers beside the 15,250-acre Lake D'Arbonne, this park offers fishing, boating, hiking, biking, cabins, camping and a seasonal pool.
- Camping
- RV Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageLake Fausse Pointe State Park
State Park
This 6,000-acre park in the Atchafalaya Basin offers fishing, boating, canoeing, three nature trails, a canoe trail, backcountry campsites and lakefront cabins.
- Camping
- RV Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageLocust Grove State Historic Site
State Historic Site
This small 27-plot cemetery is all that remains of Locust Grove Plantation and holds the grave of Sarah Knox Taylor Davis, first wife of Jefferson Davis.
- Historic Site
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageLongfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site
State Historic Site
Centered on the circa 1815 Maison Olivier, this site explores Acadian and Creole culture along Bayou Teche and includes a reproduction Acadian Farmstead.
- Historic Site
- Hiking
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageLos Adaes State Historic Site
State Historic Site
Once the capital of Spanish Texas in the 1700s, this archaeologically rich site preserved the Presidio Nuestra Senora del Pilar de Los Adaes.
- Historic Site
- Hiking
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageMansfield State Historic Site
State Historic Site
This site preserves the battlefield where Confederate forces defeated the Union army on April 8, 1864, halting the Red River Campaign into Texas.
- Historic Site
- Hiking
Louisiana State Parks
Official page
Show 14 more Louisiana parks
North Toledo Bend State Park
State Park
On the Toledo Bend Reservoir, this 900-acre park offers fishing, boating, swimming, three hiking and biking trails, disc golf, camping and cabins.
- Camping
- RV Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
Louisiana State Parks
Official pagePalmetto Island State Park
State Park
On the Vermilion River, this park offers a boat launch, interior lagoons for paddling, a nature trail, cabins, camping and a water playground.
- Camping
- RV Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
Louisiana State Parks
Official pagePlaquemine Lock State Historic Site
State Historic Site
This site preserves a 1909 navigation lock, designed by Panama Canal engineer George Goethals, that once had the highest freshwater lift of any lock in the world.
- Historic Site
Louisiana State Parks
Official pagePoverty Point Reservoir State Park
State Park
Centered on a 2,700-acre man-made lake, this park offers fishing, boating, a marina, a nature trail, waterfront cabins, lodges, camping and a water playground.
- Camping
- RV Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
Louisiana State Parks
Official pagePoverty Point World Heritage Site
State park system area
This UNESCO World Heritage Site preserves monumental earthen mounds and ridges built by a sophisticated culture between 1700 and 1100 B.C.
- Historic Site
- Hiking
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageRebel State Historic Site
State Historic Site
Set in northwestern Louisiana's piney hills, this site houses the Louisiana Country Music Museum and an outdoor amphitheater, with hiking trails on the grounds.
- Historic Site
- Hiking
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageRosedown Plantation State Historic Site
State Historic Site
This National Historic Landmark preserves an 1835 plantation house and 28 acres of restored formal gardens in St. Francisville.
- Historic Site
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageSam Houston Jones State Park
State Park
This 1,087-acre park near Lake Charles preserves lagoons, longleaf pine forest and excellent birding, with hiking trails, boat launches, cabins and camping.
- Camping
- RV Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageSouth Toledo Bend State Park
State Park
On bluffs above the Toledo Bend Reservoir, this park offers bass fishing, boating, hiking, cycling, birding, cabins and camping, plus bald eagle nesting habitat.
- Camping
- RV Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageSt. Bernard State Park
State Park
About 20 minutes from New Orleans along the Mississippi River, this park features man-made lagoons, a nature trail, camping, biking and a water playground.
- Camping
- RV Camping
- Biking
- Swimming
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageTickfaw State Park
State Park
Boardwalk trails through this park cross four ecosystems along the Tickfaw River, with a nature center, cabins, camping, paddling and a water playground.
- Camping
- RV Camping
- Cabins
- Hiking
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageWinter Quarters State Historic Site
State Historic Site
This site preserves a plantation house begun in 1805, the only one on Lake St. Joseph left standing after Grant's army marched through during the Vicksburg Campaign.
- Historic Site
Louisiana State Parks
Official pageLouisiana State Arboretum State Preservation Area
State park system area
Established in 1961 as the first state-supported arboretum in the United States, this 600-acre preserve features native vegetation and miles of nature trails.
- Hiking
- Wildlife Viewing
- Nature Trails
Louisiana State Parks
Official pagePort Hudson State Historic Site
State Historic Site
This National Historic Landmark preserves the site of the longest siege in American military history, a 48-day Civil War battle that ended in July 1863.
- Historic Site
- Hiking
Louisiana State Parks
Official page
Inventory source: USGS PAD-US 4.1. Photos are public-domain or Creative Commons via Wikimedia Commons, credited per image. Official reservations and rules remain state-specific, so use the state booking links before committing to dates.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best time to visit Louisiana state parks?
Fall (October and November) and spring (late February through mid-May) are the sweet spots. October is the driest month, humidity drops, and mosquitoes thin out, with fall highs in the 60s and 70s F and spring afternoons in the mid-to-high 70s F. Avoid summer if you can, since June through September is hot, humid, and buggy, especially in the swamps at dawn and dusk.
Does Louisiana have a national park?
No, Louisiana has no national park. Its premier federal land is Kisatchie National Forest, a 604,000-acre stretch of pine and hardwood in central Louisiana with over 100 miles of trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. For water-based outdoors, the state parks around the Atchafalaya Basin and Lake Pontchartrain carry the load.
What is the best park for seeing the Atchafalaya swamp?
Lake Fausse Pointe State Park sits deep in the Atchafalaya Basin, the largest river swamp in America, and offers paddle-in platform camping among the cypress. Bayou Segnette, just west of New Orleans, is the easiest swamp access from the city and has floating cabins on the bayou. Both are best in spring or fall when the weather is mild and the bugs are manageable.
Where should I go for hiking in Louisiana?
Head to Kisatchie National Forest in central Louisiana. The Longleaf Vista Interpretive Trail is an easy 1.5-mile loop with views over the Kisatchie Hills Wilderness, and the Wild Azalea Trail is the state's longest at nearly 24 miles, at its best in spring when the azaleas bloom. Pack insect repellent and quick-drying layers in any season.