Kisatchie Bayou in Louisiana


A self-supported trip created by PatriotBliss

Trip Overview

Kisatchie Bayou is an extremely unique thing, a small piece of whitewater in the bayou country where the elevation changes about three feet for every four hundred miles. When the December rains roll around, this slow, twisting snake of a river suddenly becomes a decent class II-maybe III whitewater run.

By putting in at the Kisatchie Bayou campground you can enjoy about a half mile of sandstone canyon rapids. You can also hike a few miles up the Caroline Dorman hiking trail (I have no idea who this Caroline Dorman is but she seems to have the only decent hiking trail in the area), put in and enjoy a few miles of scenic bayou floating before hitting the rapids (I've done this several times and if you own a packraft its certainly worth the hike).

Overall it a fun day trip to enjoy the Louisiana scenery while enjoying a few drops as well.

Accommodations:

There are latrines at the campground but that is about it... and don't even think about cell phone coverage, this is backwoods Louisiana we are talking about here.

Fees:

There is a two dollar parking fee, but that's it.

Directions:

From Leesville, proceed north on RTE 117 until coming to the town of Kisatchie. Turn right on RTE 118. Proceed on RTE 118 for about three miles until you see a sign for the Kisatchie National Forest. Turn left on this dirt road and follow the signs for the campground. Park in the middle lot and the water will be about a hundred yards to the left.

Launches:

There are numerous put ins along the Kisatchie Bayou, all of them consisting of flat, white sand beaches.

Trip Details

  • Trip Duration: Day Trip
  • Sport/Activity: Kayaking, Canoeing
  • Skill Level: Intermediate
  • Water Type: River/Creek (Up to Class II)

Trip Location