4.8 percent of Louisiana. The Forest Service holds 608,478 acres, the Fish and Wildlife Service 593,219 and the BLM 5,383, with no BLM routes recorded in the national layer
Driskill Mountain, the highest point in Louisiana 4
535 ft
In Bienville Parish. Our own query of the USGS elevation surface at the summit reads 534. The lowest point is New Orleans at 8 feet below sea level
The only national forest in Louisiana, across seven parishes and five ranger districts, designated in 1930. The CRS puts all Forest Service land in the state at 608,478 acres
Twelve Forest Service and three Corps of Engineers. Six can be booked ahead and nine are first come only
Acres of state wildlife management areas, refuges and conservation areas 29
1.6M
Held by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, which publishes width, weight, tire and season limits for every vehicle on them
Off-highway vehicle trail on the national forest 12
175 mi
On four designated multiple-use systems: Claiborne, Sandstone, Livingston and Enduro. The same forest carries over 320 miles of hiking trail and over 230 miles of equestrian trail
The 1895 to 2020 average, from about 50 inches in the north to about 70 in the southeast. A typical station records more than 60 thunderstorms a year, second only to Florida
Atchafalaya Basin, Bayou Bodcau, Bonnet Carre Spillway, Caddo, Old River Lock, four Ouachita-Black River pools, Pearl River, Red River Waterway and Wallace
Sleeping up top in a wet, warm state
A roof tent suits Louisiana better than most places for one reason: it gets you off ground that is often wet and often crawling. Ventilation and a rain fly that copes with a genuine downpour matter more than four-season insulation in a state that averages half a freezing day a year.
Check where you plan to pitch. On wildlife management areas camping is only allowed in designated areas, capped at 16 consecutive days, or 14 days in 30 at Bodcau. On the national forest you may camp within 100 feet of most roads. Inside a state park, the campsite takes one camping unit and six people, and quiet hours run 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.
A roof tent gets you off the ground and sets up in minutes. It also puts weight on the highest point of the vehicle, and the rack underneath matters as much as the tent. A dealer who installs will check your roof's load ratings before anything else.
What they sell and install
01Hard-shell and soft-shell roof tents
02Awnings, annexes and insulation
03Racks and crossbars rated for the load
04Installation and removal
05Parts: covers, zippers, struts and poles
How to choose a roof tent
Open it, climb into it and close it before you buy it.
01Know your two roof numbers: the dynamic rating for driving and the static load for camping with people inside. They are different, and the rack has its own.
02Hard shells open fastest and cut through wind. Soft shells give more space for the weight and the money.
03Check the mattress, the ladder angle at your vehicle's height, and whether it closes with bedding inside.
04Ask about parts and repairs before you need them.
05Measure your garage door.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
The roof decides what is possible.
01Vehicle, and what is on the roof or bed now
02How many people sleep in it
03The weather you camp in
04Garage height, if it lives indoors
05A budget range for the tent and the rack together
Questions people ask
Will a roof tent fit my vehicle?
Almost any vehicle can carry one with the right rack, but check the roof's dynamic load rating in the owner's manual and the rack's rating. The lower number is your limit while driving.
Hard shell or soft shell?
Hard shells are quicker, quieter in wind and better in rain and snow. Soft shells sleep more people for less money and weight, and take longer to pack. If you move camp every day, speed matters more than you expect.
Does a roof tent hurt fuel economy?
Yes, some, and you will hear it on the highway. Lower-profile tents and a fairing help. It is a trade most people accept for the sleep.
How high is Louisiana?
From Cameron at 4 feet to Driskill Mountain at 534.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
0
Feet above sea level
Towns
HomerClaiborne Parish seat and the Caney Ranger District office. Caney and Corney lakes and the district’s designated vehicle camping corridors lie south and west.289 ft
MindenWebster Parish seat and the wildlife agency’s field office for Bodcau. The eastern approach to the Caney district and the northern end of the Bodcau country.257 ft
LeesvilleVernon Parish seat beside the 85,000-acre Vernon Unit and the Fort Polk-Vernon wildlife management area. Fuel and tires before the Enduro trailhead road.255 ft
HaughtonBossier Parish town on the Bodcau Dam Road side of the reservoir, with the Corps of Engineers Bayou Bodcau project office. Nearest services to the primitive camping areas.241 ft
ShreveportThe northwest hub where I-20 crosses I-49, with a Red River Waterway visitor center. The last large service town before Bodcau, Caney and the Arkansas line.151 ft
WinnfieldWinn Parish seat and the Winn Ranger District office. The Saline Bayou National Wild and Scenic River and the Gum Springs horse camp are reached from here.130 ft
NatchitochesParish seat on the Cane River and the northern approach to LA 117, the Longleaf Trail byway and the Sandstone trail. Cane River Creole National Historical Park sits south of town.121 ft
PinevilleAcross the Red River from Alexandria and home of the Kisatchie National Forest supervisor’s office on Shreveport Highway. The Catahoula Ranger District begins just north.120 ft
Saint FrancisvilleWest Feliciana Parish seat above the Mississippi on the Great River Road, and the town nearest the Tunica Hills, the steepest country in the southeast of the state.116 ft
MonroeOn the Ouachita River at I-20, with the Corps of Engineers Louisiana Field Office on South Grand Street. Russell Sage wildlife management area sits east of town.77 ft
AlexandriaWhere I-49 meets US 165 and US 71 in the middle of the state. The last full-size service town for the Evangeline Unit, the Claiborne trails and the Catahoula district.77 ft
LafayetteThe state wildlife agency’s Lafayette field office and the practical base for the Atchafalaya Basin, Sherburne and the northern end of the Bayou Teche byway.37 ft
New IberiaOn Bayou Teche in the salt dome country, midway along the Bayou Teche Scenic Byway and the usual overnight stop on that drive.17 ft
SulphurOn I-10 at the top of Louisiana Highway 27, the road south to Sabine National Wildlife Refuge and the western leg of the Creole Nature Trail.15 ft
Lake CharlesSouthwest hub on I-10 where the Creole Nature Trail loop begins and ends. The last place with everything before the marsh parishes.14 ft
CameronParish seat on Louisiana Highway 82 at the Calcasieu Pass ferry, the crossing that closes the coastal loop. Services on this stretch are thin and far apart.4 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Driskill MountainBienville Parish, the highest ground in Louisiana. This is our own reading of the USGS elevation surface at the summit point; the USGS published table gives 535 feet534 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
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