USFS · Louisiana

Kisatchie National Forest

Kisatchie National Forest, the only National forest in Louisiana, United States, is located in the forested piney hills and hardwood bottoms of seven central and northern parishes. It is part of the Cenozoic uplands and has large areas of longleaf pine forests. It is one of the largest pieces of natural landscape in Louisiana, with some 604,000 acres (2,440 km2) of public land, more than half of which is vital longleaf pine and flatwoods vegetation. These support many rare plant and animal species. There are also rare habitats, such as hillside seepage bogs and calcareous prairies. The forest also contains and provides a buffer for the Kisatchie Hills Wilderness, a nationally designated wilderness area that contributes to protecting biodiversity of the coastal plain region of the United States.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest1.1 million acresUSFSLA9 campgrounds within 10 mi42 Forest Service sites33 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateLouisiana
Size1.1 million acres
Forest Service code0806, region 08
Center point31.01° N, 93.07° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 12)

Boundary map

7 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Kisatchie National Forest50°60°70°80°90°January: 5.62 inches of precipitationFebruary: 4.91 inches of precipitationMarch: 5.28 inches of precipitationApril: 5.32 inches of precipitationMay: 4.73 inches of precipitationJune: 5.33 inches of precipitationJuly: 4.61 inches of precipitationAugust: 3.80 inches of precipitationSeptember: 4.25 inches of precipitationOctober: 4.92 inches of precipitationNovember: 4.79 inches of precipitationDecember: 5.28 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 50.9°F averageFebruary: 53.9°F averageMarch: 60.5°F averageApril: 67.2°F averageMay: 75.0°F averageJune: 81.0°F averageJuly: 83.1°F averageAugust: 82.9°F averageSeptember: 78.1°F averageOctober: 68.6°F averageNovember: 58.0°F averageDecember: 51.6°F average0 in2 in4 in6 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Ft Polk Fullerton Lndg Strip, 11 miles from the center point at 310 feet, station USW00053988 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 59 inches a year.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

8 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 1 more is within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · Inside
Beaver Dam Campground
Reservable30 sites
FS · Inside
Cane
First-comeLA
FS · Inside
Kincaid Lake Campground
Reservable41 sites
FS · Inside
Lotus OHV Camp
First-comeLA
FS · Inside
North Shore Primitive Campground and Day Use Area
First-comeLA
FS · Inside
South Shore Campground and Day Use Area
First-comeLA
FS · Inside
Stuart Lake Recreation Complex, Camping/Day Use
ReservableLA
FS · Inside
Valentine Lake Recreation Area
First-come19 sites
Show 1 more

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 42

The Forest Service lists 42 recreation sites in this forest, among them 17 dispersed campings, 10 campgrounds, 8 boat launchs, 5 viewpoints. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 42

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

Trails

Every trail on Trailhead Atlas →

The Forest Service trail layer records 33 named trails in this forest, 326 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Enduro ↗37.7
Sandstone Trail ↗33.5
Claiborne North ↗32.4
Claiborne Boy Scout Trail ↗30.2
Wild Azalea ↗25.8
Saline Bayou Canoe Trail ↗22.7
Claiborne Woodworth ↗21.3
Livingston Little Creek ↗20.3
Gum Springs Horse Trail ↗19.1
Livingston Hickman Loop ↗11

Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.

All 33 trails in Kisatchie National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Historical Park · 4 mi
Cane River Creole National Historical Park
National Register listings within 15 miles · 199 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Guidebooks for Louisiana and the South

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Kisatchie National Forest?

1.1 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Kisatchie National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Kisatchie National Forest in?

Louisiana.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Kisatchie National Forest?

Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites. Check the forest page for closures. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Kisatchie National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 31.010° N, 93.067° W. Cane River Creole National Historical Park is 4 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Which national parks are near Kisatchie National Forest?

Cane River Creole National Historical Park (4 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Kisatchie National Forest?

The National Register has 199 listings within 15 miles, including Magnolia Plantation and Chopin, Kate, House.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage and code: the Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse.
  • States and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
  • Description: Kisatchie National Forest on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, matched by forest code.
  • Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched by forest code.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.