Public land camping
Camping in Louisiana
15 federal places to camp in Louisiana, from Forest Service and Army Corps of Engineers, on the land they sit on.
- 15
- federal places to camp
- 12 Forest Service, 3 Army Corps of Engineers
- 127
- campsites you can book ahead
- At the 6 places that take reservations on Recreation.gov. 9 more are first come, first served
- 263 ft
- the highest you can drive to
- Gum Springs Recreation Area
- 7
- counties with federal camping
- 12 gateway towns, each with three or more within 30 miles
The Louisiana campground map
Select a pin for its elevation, its sites and its page. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see how you get there, and use the finder for a campground, a town or a peak.
Interactive map. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select any point to see which agency manages the land. Arrow keys pan and the plus and minus keys zoom when the map has focus. A list of every state with its share of federal land is on the Explore page.
Map layers
Legend
Federal land, by managing agency
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
US Forest Service (USFS)
National Park Service (NPS)
US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
Department Of Defense (DOD)
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
Other Federal
State
Local
Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
Alaska Native Allotment
Federal campgrounds, by agency
- Forest Service
- Bureau of Land Management
- National Park Service
- Army Corps of Engineers
- Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others
State and local land (USGS PAD-US)
- State land
- County and city land
- Regional agency or district
- Land trust or conservancy
BLM roads and trails
Roads Managed for Public Motorized Use
Road
Primitive Road
Roads Managed for Limited Public Motorized Use
Road
Primitive Road
Trails Managed for Public Motorized Use
Trail
Trails Managed for Limited Public Motorized Use
- Trail
Forest Service Motor Vehicle Use Map
Roads
Roads open to all Vehicles, Yearlong
Roads open to all Vehicles, Seasonal
Roads open to highway legal vehicles only, Yearlong
Roads open to highway legal vehicles only, Seasonal
Special Designation, Yearlong
Special Designation, Seasonal
Trails
Trails open to all vehicles, Yearlong
Trails open to all vehicles, Seasonal
Trails open to vehicles 50" or less in width, Yearlong
Trails open to vehicles 50" or less in width, Seasonal
Trails open to motorcycles, Yearlong
Trails open to motorcycles, Seasonal- Special Designation, Yearlong
Special Designation, Seasonal
Trails Open to Wheeled Vehicles Only < 50" in Width, Yearlong
Trails Open to Wheeled Vehicles Only < 50" or Less in Width, Seasonal
BLM Wilderness
Wilderness Area
Wilderness Study Area
BLM recreation sites
- Camping
- OHV area
- Trailhead
Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.
Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.
Select any point to see who manages the land.
The map could not start in this browser.
It needs WebGL, which is turned off or unavailable here. You can still browse public land by state, or use the BLM’s own maps.
Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.
Camping near a town
- Atlanta
- Boyce
- Creola
- Elizabeth
- Forest Hill
- Haughton
- Montgomery
- Natchez
- Pollock
- Provencal
- Simpson
- Woodworth
No town by that name has three federal campgrounds within 30 miles. Try the county list below.
Every federal campground in Louisiana
15 places
- Beaver Dam Campground Forest Service · Kisatchie National Forest · Webster County 160 ftelevation 29sites 80 ftlongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- Cane Forest Service · Kisatchie National Forest · Natchitoches County 203 ftelevation n/asites n/alongest rig First comepay on arrival
- Cloud Crossing Recreation Area Forest Service · Kisatchie National Forest · Natchitoches County 129 ftelevation n/asites n/alongest rig First comepay on arrival
- Corral Ohv Camp Forest Service · Kisatchie National Forest · Natchitoches County 95 ftelevation n/asites n/alongest rig First comepay on arrival
- Fullerton Recreation Area Forest Service · Kisatchie National Forest · Vernon County 213 ftelevation n/asites n/alongest rig First comepay on arrival
- Gum Springs Recreation Area Forest Service · Kisatchie National Forest · Winn County 263 ftelevation n/asites n/alongest rig First comepay on arrival
- Kincaid Lake Campground Forest Service · Kisatchie National Forest · Rapides County 161 ftelevation 39sites 57 ftlongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- Kisatchie Bayou Recreation Area Forest Service · Kisatchie National Forest · Natchitoches County 166 ftelevation n/asites n/alongest rig First comepay on arrival
- Loran Camp Forest Service · Kisatchie National Forest · Rapides County 229 ftelevation n/asites n/alongest rig First comepay on arrival
- Lotus Ohv Camp Forest Service · Kisatchie National Forest · Natchitoches County 239 ftelevation n/asites n/alongest rig First comepay on arrival
- South Abutment East Army Corps · Bayou Bodcau Reservoir · Bossier County n/aelevation 12sites n/alongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- Stuart Lake Forest Service · Kisatchie National Forest · Grant County 166 ftelevation n/asites n/alongest rig First comepay on arrival
- Tom Merrill Recreation Area Army Corps · Bayou Bodcau Reservoir · Bossier County n/aelevation 20sites n/alongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- Valentine Lake Recreation Area Forest Service · Kisatchie National Forest · Rapides County 149 ftelevation 16sites n/alongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- Wenks Landing Army Corps · Bayou Bodcau Reservoir · Webster County n/aelevation 11sites n/alongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
Nothing matches those filters. Clear one and try again.
Camping rules worth knowing in Louisiana
- Dispersed camping on Kisatchie: 30 days, five road miles, and not again this year
- Louisiana’s national forest runs the most generous dispersed-camping stay limit in the region and the strictest return rule. Camping outside a designated recreation area is welcomed across the forest. A vehicle camper may pull off most any road and camp up to 100 feet from the centreline of the road on either side, unless the district’s Motor Vehicle Use Map says otherwise. You may camp in a dispersed area for up to 30 days, after which you must move at least five road miles to camp in another dispersed area, and campers may not return to the same campsite within the calendar year. Sites must be at least 100 feet from any stream or other water source. The Catahoula National Wildlife Management Preserve allows no dispersed camping; the Red Dirt preserve allows it from a vehicle on specified roads only. A party of more than 75 has to obtain a special use permit from the nearest district office first. Source 10
Campground records: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), read September 19, 2026. Elevations: USGS 3D Elevation Program. Fees, seasons and limits change; confirm with the managing office before you go.