Louisiana's Kisatchie Hills Wilderness

Location: Kisatchie National Forest is in western Louisiana, about 150 miles northwest of Baton Rouge and 40 miles northwest of Alexandria.

Getting There: Take I-49 to the Derry exit. Travel five miles south on State Hwy. 119 to the intersection with the Longleaf Trail Scenic Byway.

Seasonal Information: Go in late March or early April for dogwoods, wild azaleas, and other flowers, or fall to avoid hot, humid summer weather. In the spring and fall, temperatures are mild ~ in the 70s and 80s.

It can rain anytime in Louisiana, so be prepared. Unless you have current weather information, don't camp in the bottoms because a thunderstorm can raise water levels precipitously.

Wildlife: You might see beavers, bobcats, coyotes, foxes, mink, muskrat, nutria, opossum, otters, raccoons, ring-tailed cats, skunks, squirrels, owls, deer, wild turkeys, and armadillos.

Insects: Ticks are common, but mosquitoes are not as prevalent as in some parts of the state.

Plant Life: The Caroline Dormon Trail passes through pine woods, wax myrtle, and French mulberries. After a while, the trail dips into a lower area where hardwood trees dominate ~ beeches, oaks, hickories, gums, and magnolias mix with loblolly pines. Looking down from the multicolored fall foliage of the gum trees, you can see white mushrooms the size of pancakes.

Wildflowers such as coreopsis, sunflowers, and wild azalea thrive along trails. And the Caroline Dorman Nature Preserve boasts Louisiana iris, shadow-witch orchid, orange fringed orchid, white fringed orchid, bog orchid, and white buckeye.

Facilities:

• Campgrounds are free and primitive.
• Kisatchie Bayou Campground is the most scenic and developed, but it tends to fill up on weekends. It offers drinking water, picnic tables, tent pads, and vault toilets.
• If you want solitude, you can make camp along the Dormon Trail or in the little used, more rustic Red Bluff Campground, where the owls will lull you to sleep. Red Bluff is also situated on the banks of Kisatchie Bayou at a bend where the water is usually still and deep. Chances to see deer, wild turkeys, and other wildlife are much better here because there's less human intrusion. This campground is a bit damp in the spring, more attractive in the fall, but worth a visit anytime to simply stroll the path beside the bayou. Red Bluff offers a vault toilet.

Parking: Contact park office for information.

Permits: Permits are required for large groups only.

Policies: No motorized equipment or bicycles permitted.

Hazards:

• Snakes, including cottonmouths, are in the area.
• Poison ivy is abundant.
• The 1986 Southern Pine Beetle epidemic killed pine trees on approximately 4,000 acres of the wilderness. Visitors should be extremely careful in these areas since there is the possibility of falling limbs and trees.
• Be careful with campfires since many areas contain high volumes of fuel.

Leave No Trace: Contact park office for information.

All LNT guidelines apply.

Maps: Forest Service handouts are sufficient. If you plan to hike in the wilderness area, specifically request the wilderness trail map. A more detailed map is available for $3.

Other Trip Options:

• Within Natchitoches, there are some good lakes for fishing and waterskiing.
• Visit Natchitoches National Fish Hatchery Aquarium (318/352-5324).
• Take a tour of the sites where the movie "Steel Magnolias" was filmed.

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