Black Lake Bayou facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Black Lake Bayou |
|
|---|---|
| Other name(s) | Bayou du lac Noir (former French name) |
| Country | United States / Louisiana |
| Physical characteristics | |
| River mouth | Black Lake |
| Length | 169 km (105 mi) |
Black Lake Bayou is a long waterway in northwest Louisiana, United States. It stretches about 169 kilometers (105 miles) from north of Gibsland down to Clarence. This bayou is like a winding river that flows through many parishes (like counties) in Louisiana. It goes through Claiborne, Webster, Bienville, Red River, and Natchitoches parishes.
The bayou eventually flows into Black Lake. From there, its water drains into Saline Bayou. Saline Bayou is a smaller river that joins the Red River. Black Lake Bayou also runs near several towns. These include Minden, Dubberly, Fryeburg, Mount Lebanon, Jamestown, Castor, and Ashland. Kepler Lake is also connected to the Black Lake Bayou area. You can see the bayou from several Louisiana highways. These include Highways 154, 156, 531, 792, 4, 507, and 155.
Exploring Black Lake Bayou
The Black Lake Bayou area is often covered with many trees. This makes it hard to get to the water in most places. The easiest spots to reach the bayou are usually under bridges. These bridge areas are also popular places for people to go fishing.
Boat Launches and Access Points
There are a few places where you can launch a boat into the bayou. One simple boat launch is at Nix Crossing. This spot is a few miles north of Castor. It's also a few miles south of Jamestown. Nix Crossing is known for being one of the widest and deepest parts of Black Lake Bayou.
In the Red River parish, there are two other boat launches. These were built in the mid-1970s. The one further north is called the 'Moody Stretch' boat launch. A few miles south of that is the 'Cannon Place' boat launch. Both of these boat launches are still very useful today.
Old Railroad Bridge
At Nix Crossing, there used to be a bridge for the Kansas City Southern Railroad. This bridge crossed right over Black Lake Bayou. The railroad bridge was taken down as part of a "rails to trails" program. This program turns old railroad lines into paths for walking or biking. Even though the bridge is gone, you can still see its old support poles standing in the water.
