50 State Challenge - Louisiana

This weeks 50 state challenge is Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana. Kisatchie National Forest has more than 604,000 acres and it is spread across seven parishes in Louisiana. The forest is divided into five managed units called Ranger Districts: Calcasieu, Caney, Catahoula, Kisatchie and Winn.

CALCASIEU DISTRICT:

• Southernmost district
• Features Valentine Lake and Fullerton Lake.
• The Wild Azalea National Recreation Trail, Ouiski Chito Creek Trail, and the Indian Ridge Trail are just some of the trails found in this district.
• The remains of Camp Claiborne can be found here.

CANEY DISTRICT:

• Located northeast of Shreveport.
• Great place for boating in the many lakes. 

CATAHOULA RANGER DISTRICT:

• Great area for hiking and biking.
• Remains of Camp Livingston can be found here.
• There is a hummingbird and butterfly garden.

KISATCHIE RANGER DISTRICT:

• Longleaf Trail National Byway.
• Several horse trails.
• Sandstone Bluffs can be found here.

WINN RANGER DISTRACT:

• Popular spot for hunting.
• Cloud Crossing Recreation Complex is an ideal spot for canoeing and boating.

What's so special about Kisatchie National Forest? Well, for starters it is protects a wide array of plant species including carnivorous plants and wild orchids like the Pink Pogonia Orchid. It also protects rare animals like the Louisiana Pine Snake, the Red-cockaded Woodpecker, the Louisiana Black Bear and the Louisiana Pearlshell Mussel.

Some Things To Do:

• Bicycling - There are several different trails for mountain biking and for road cycling. More info HERE
• Canoeing 
• Fishing - There are over 10 lakes and ponds to fish in. More info HERE 
• Birdwatching
• Hiking - Over 100 miles of trails Info on trails HERE
• Horse back riding
• Hunting - The forest allows big game and small game hunting. More info HERE
• Camping