Take your pick: swimming, fishing, birding, boating of all kinds, waterskiing, camping, hiking or just plain relaxing and enjoying the unsurpassed natural beauty. It's all here . . . at Lake Claiborne State Park. For fishermen, the freshwater lake was lavishly stocked with largemouth bass, bluegill sunfish, channel catfish, black crappie, striped bass, chain pickerel, bream, and white perch. The lake itself, at full reservoir level, has a surface area of 6,400 acres.

Two-bedroom cabins are nestled among the pine trees, and many offer a view of the lake. The RV campground rests among the slopes of the north Louisiana foothills, offering shaded spots to get closer to nature. Whatever your preference for an overnight stay, you'll be sure to rest peacefully.

One of the most popular activities for visitors of all ages is swimming at the park's sandy beach. The beach is situated on an inlet of the lake and is protected from boats and waterskiers. So work up an appetite for that fresh fish supper by taking a brisk swim in Lake Claiborne's famous clear water. Ecologists and sportsmen alike hail the lake's excellent water quality, and you will too, once you've made the trip to Lake Claiborne. Once on-site, you will see the area come to life as a park naturalist will be available to present nature-based programs and give guided hikes.

Lake Claiborne SP offers the #1 and #2 ranked disc golf courses in the state. Both courses offer 2 sets of tee pads, the Blue tees are for the skilled players and the Red tees for the newer players or first timers at the park. Families are encouraged to check out discs at the fee station on their next visit. Both courses start and end at the entrance. Scorecards and maps are available to the fee station or in the below "Disc Golf" section.

The woods of Lake Claiborne are also home to a wide variety of wildlife. Lovely nature trails and a scenic overlook will allow you to appreciate the beauty of the area at your own pace. Or you may be interested in a variety of nature tours, offered on a regular basis.

Lake Claiborne State Park

Piney forests, rolling hills, five fishing piers, and a beautiful lake draw visitors to this quiet, majestic state park. Designed to keep the focus on nature, park facilities blend with the natural landscape to enhance the outdoor experience of this 655-acre park.

Fishing piers and boat docks attract visitors to Lake D'Arbonne, the marvelous 15,250-acre centerpiece of the park. Recreation on Lake D'Arbonne is tremendously popular among locals and visitors, and record freshwater catches of bass, crappie, catfish and bream make Lake D'Arbonne a fishing haven. Wide open areas of the lake, about seven miles from the park, appeal to water skiers and pleasure boaters. The boat launch at the park opens up all of these opportunities to outdoorsmen.

Tree stands in the lake captivate photographers, as do the towering pines on land and the rich diversity of wildlife and birds that make the park their home. Bring your binoculars and camera to capture the wonders of the natural world from our beautiful nature trails.

Cyclists will enjoy the challenge of the rolling hills of the park as a starting point for biking excursions into the steep inclines and scenic beauty of North Louisiana. Lighted tennis courts add to the activity options available for all visitors. Return for a picnic under the canopy of pine trees and celebrate the magnificence of nature preserved.

Lake D'Arbonne State Park

Situated on the western shore of Lake Bistineau, this park offers a satisfying blend of beautiful vistas and outstanding recreational facilities. Memorable for its upland mixed hardwood forest, its open waters, and its enchanting stands of cypress and tupelo trees, the park offers two boat launches, hiking and biking trails, playgrounds, camping, cabins and excellent fishing!

Beginning in January with the "yo- yo" season and lasting through the spring, summer, and early fall, the dedicated fisherman can draw such freshwater catches as black crappie, largemouth bass, yellow bass, catfish, bluegill, and red-ear sunfish from the lake's clear waters.

Lake Bistineau dates back over 200 years. It began in 1800 when several thousand acres of land were flooded due to a gigantic log jam in the Red River. Gradually, however, as the area was dredged, the lake began to drain. Then in 1935, a permanent dam was built across Loggy Bayou, creating the present-day Lake Bistineau. The dam has since been enlarged, giving the reservoir a surface area of 26.9 square miles, with an average depth of seven feet and a maximum depth of 25 feet.

Area 1 is located in the main section of the park, with cabins, and a group camp. Picnicking along the lake is tremendously popular at numerous sites equipped with tables, grills, and nearby restrooms. Several picnic pavilions are also available for larger groups. The park's trail system encompasses nearly 10 miles of woodland trails and an 11-mile canoe trail, for visitors who want to see the park's beauty from the water.

Lake Bistineau State Park

Located on a peninsula on Caney Lake, Jimmie Davis State Park offers two boat launches and a fishing pier that cater to the outdoors enthusiast looking for a prime freshwater fishing spot. Waterskiing is another way to enjoy the clear waters of the lake, which was created by damming Caney Creek in 1986. Don't forget to look back at the lakeshore to appreciate the beautiful mixed pine and hardwood forest surrounding the lake and the birds and animals that make the forest their home.

To ensure that there's never a dull moment, the park also has a playground for the kids after a day on the lake. Cyclists will enjoy the park as a starting point for biking treks through the hills of North Louisiana, and nature lovers are invited to discover the beauty of the wooded land and lakefront. Bring your binoculars to get a closer look at the wide variety of birds that live in or pass through the area.

After a day of fishing and exploring the park, stay the night in a cabin...or bring the extended family and sleepover in a lodge. For large groups, a group camp – including four dormitories and a dining hall – is available, with its own playground and fishing pier. RV campers have several scenic sites to choose from, for a closer visit with nature.

Opened in the fall of 1996, Jimmie Davis State Park was originally named Caney Creek Lake State Park. The 2003 Louisiana State Legislature approved renaming the park in honor of two-term Governor Jimmie H. Davis, who served from 1944 to 1948 and again from 1960 to 1964.

Jimmie Davis State Park

Chemin-A-Haut State Park is situated on a high bluff overlooking Bayou Bartholomew and is a natural paradise for lovers of unspoiled beauty. This acre site takes its name from the French word meaning "high road," which was the route used by Native Americans many years ago in their seasonal migrations.

Chemin-A-Haut State Park was designed with children in mind. Two playgrounds in the day-use area are a favorite spot of the younger patrons as is the wading pool in the swimming complex. Also, the park's swimming pool is open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, so campers and picnickers can refresh themselves on hot summer days. In addition to RV and tent camping, overnight guests can also relax in cabins, some located convenient to the day-use area, while more-secluded units are located on the bayou.

The picnic area includes 35 family sites with grills and tables, five group sites (for up to 24 people), and three shelters. A hard-surfaced trail goes through the picnic area and along the high, scenic banks of Bayou Bartholomew. Rental boats afford visitors an even closer view.

Big Slough Lake, located near the edge of the park, offers an opportunity to fish from the shore. Several varieties of freshwater species can be found there. Take advantage of the beautiful seclusion of this ideal park site. 

Chemin-A-Haut State Park

With the fall of Vicksburg and Port Hudson in July 1863, the Mississippi River was entirely controlled by the Union. President Lincoln and his staff decided that the capture of Texas and the Trans-Mississippi headquarters at Shreveport, Louisiana, would be the next objective. The Union surmised that a successful Red River campaign would accomplish several important goals, from the confiscation of cotton to preventing French-Mexican forces from providing supplies and support to the Confederate troops.

Like many important battles, the Mansfield-Pleasant Hill engagement was actually a series of encounters taking place over several days. After a two-hour cavalry fight with Union forces near Wilson's Farm on April 7, 1864, Confederate commander General Richard Taylor (son of President Zachary Taylor) elected to defend a site about four miles south of Mansfield, now the location of the state historic site. General N.P. Banks did not expect the Confederates to fight until he reached Shreveport, so the Union army became stretched out along the narrow road leading to Mansfield. This allowed Taylor to deal with his opponents on more equal terms since the Confederate troops were heavily outnumbered.

At noon on April 8, the head of the disorganized Union army (6,400 troops) was confronted by the Confederate army (10,500 troops) in battle formation. The Union troops quickly formed a line of battle along a rail fence and a ridge known as Honeycutt Hill. On orders from Taylor, General Alfred Mouton's Division charged the rail fence. Mouton was killed leading the attack, but French born General C. J. Polignac, along with other Confederate forces, continued the attack and overwhelmed the Union line.

Two miles to the south, another 6,500 Union troops formed a defensive position at Chapman's Bayou and held this location until dark. During the night the defeated Union forces fell back to Pleasant Hill. On April 9, the fierce Battle of Pleasant Hill was fought, with both sides taking heavy losses and withdrawing from the field after dark. By turning back Union forces at this time, the Confederates were able to prevent complete Union control of Louisiana and stop progression of the war into Texas. In fact, the Confederate victory at Mansfield may have prolonged the war by several months.

 In 1973, this State Historic Site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, an honorary designation for significant historical sites. Through living history events, exhibits, battle reenactments and interpretive programs, Mansfield State Historic Site allows visitors to travel back to the unrest of the Civil War years. Watch for musket demonstrations, candlelight tours of the battlefield and other exciting events scheduled throughout the year.

Mansfield State Historic Site

Natchitoches was founded by a French Canadian, Louis Antoine Juchereau de St. Denis, in 1714 while he was en route to Mexico from Mobile, Alabama, on a trade mission. When he reached the village of the Natchitoches Indians on the Red River, he had two huts constructed within the village and left a small detachment there to guard the stores and trade with the inhabitants. This became the first permanent European settlement in the territory later known as the Louisiana Purchase.

In 1716, Sieur Charles Claude Dutisné was sent to Natchitoches with a small company of colonial troops to build and garrison an outpost that would prevent the Spanish forces in the province of Texas from advancing across the border of French Louisiane. This strategic outpost was named Fort St. Jean Baptiste des Natchitoches. Economically, Natchitoches evolved into a primary French trade center in the Lower Mississippi Valley. Native American tribes of the three Caddo Confederacies played a vital role in establishing trade and communication links among the French, the Spanish and the Native Americans of the region. The trade that developed with the Caddos forever changed the material culture of the tribes, and by the mid-18th century they were almost completely dependent upon French trade goods. The diplomatic success of the fort was assured when St. Denis was named commandant in 1722. His influence would thrive in the colony until his death in 1744.

The fort continued to serve as a military outpost and commercial trade center until 1762, when France's defeat by England in the French and Indian War forced her to cede the Louisiana colony to Spain. Under Spanish authority, the fort served as a trade center and a link in Spain's intracolonial communications network. But since its original purpose of protecting a territorial boundary no longer applied, the Spanish eventually abandoned the fort. The fort was in such ruins by the time the United States acquired the area in the Louisiana Purchase (1803) that the Americans could no longer use it, so they built Fort Claiborne nearby.

The site obtained for the replication of Fort St. Jean Baptiste is located on Cane River Lake (formerly the Red River) a few hundred yards from the original fort site. The fort replication was based upon Ignace Francois Broutin's plans and on extensive archival research in Louisiana, Canada and France. Construction began in 1979 under the direction of the late Samuel Wilson, Jr. and the Louisiana Office of State Parks. Building materials were obtained locally, and many 18th-century techniques were employed in the replication. Nearly 2,000 treated pine logs form the palisade and approximately 250,000 board feet of treated lumber went into the construction of the buildings. All of the hinges and latches were handmade at a nearby foundry. Further historical research is ongoing.

Lake Claiborne State Park Maps

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