List of Louisiana state parks facts for kids

Map of state parks maintained by the Office of State Parks (Each dot is linked to the corresponding park article)

The state of Louisiana has 21 state parks, which are governed by the Office of Lieutenant Governor, a division of the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. Louisiana's state park system began in 1934 when the state passed legislation that created the State Parks Commission of Louisiana. In 1952, legislation broadened the role of the commission to include the development of outdoor recreation programs and resources. The commission was renamed to the Louisiana State Parks and Recreation Commission. In 1977, the Office of State Parks was created in the Department of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism.

After the State Parks Commission of Louisiana was formed in 1934, 7 sites were acquired for use as state parks. During World War II, the rate of new park acquisition declined with the addition of only one new site, Sam Houston Jones State Park in 1944. In 1966, the National Park Service reviewed Louisiana's state parks system and made many recommendations, which led to specific guidelines and requirements for state parks. Over time, many state parks that did not meet these guidelines were either reclassified as state historic sites or were turned over to local or state agencies. Some of these parks include Lac des Allemands, Saline Bayou, and Black Lake. During the 1970s, government management of the state parks was restructured. The Office of State Parks was created, and 2 new parks were acquired. From 1995 to 2009, $80 million were invested in creating new facilities, or updating existing facilities.

Louisiana state parks are selected on the criteria that they must be natural areas of unique or exceptional scenic value. Many of the state parks also have historic or scientific importance. For example, Chemin-A-Haut State Park served as a route used by Native Americans during seasonal migrations. Louisiana state parks have many accommodations, including overnight cabins, boating rentals, guided daily tours, and fishing piers. In 2002, Louisiana state parks had more than 2 million visitors. With the addition of Palmetto Island State Park in 2010, Louisiana state parks comprise more than 30,000 acres (12,000 ha) of land.

Parks Calendar

In 2021, Louisiana issued a State Parks Calendar photographed by P J Hahn.

Current parks

Park name	Parish	Size	Year Established	Remarks	Image
Bayou Segnette State Park	Jefferson Parish	&&&&&&&&&&&&0676.&&&&&0676 acres (274 ha)	1987	Bayou Segnette State Park features a wave pool with a capacity of up to 400 people depending on lifeguard staffing.
Bogue Chitto State Park	Washington Parish	&&&&&&&&&&&01786.&&&&&01,786 acres (723 ha)	2010	Bogue Chitto State Park, pronounced bo–guh chit–uh, contains 14 miles (23 km) of equestrian trails with the trailhead located near Fricke's Cave.
Chemin-A-Haut State Park	Morehouse Parish	&&&&&&&&&&&&0503.&&&&&0503 acres (204 ha)	1935	The park was designed with children in mind and has two playgrounds at the day use area.
Chicot State Park	Evangeline Parish	&&&&&&&&&&&06400.&&&&&06,400 acres (2,590 ha)	1939	Chicot State Park contains the Louisiana State Arboretum, which has a mature beech–magnolia forest.
Cypremort Point State Park	Saint Mary Parish St. Mary Parish	&&&&&&&&&&&&0185.&&&&&0185 acres (75 ha)	1970	Most of the park is situated on a half-mile stretch of a man-made beach.
Fairview-Riverside State Park	Saint Tammany Parish St. Tammany Parish	&&&&&&&&&&&&&098.&&&&&098 acres (40 ha)	1962	The Otis house, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is located in the park.
Fontainebleau State Park	Saint Tammany Parish St. Tammany Parish	&&&&&&&&&&&02800.&&&&&02,800 acres (1,133 ha)	1942	The park was once the site of a sugar plantation and brick yard operated by Bernard de Marigny.
Grand Isle State Park	Jefferson Parish	&&&&&&&&&&&&0140.&&&&&0140 acres (57 ha)	1968	Grand Isle State Park is the only state-owned and -operated beach on the Louisiana gulf coast.
Jimmie Davis State Park	Jackson Parish	&&&&&&&&&&&&0294.&&&&&0294 acres (119 ha)	1996	Many of the largest bass caught in Louisiana have been in Caney Lake Reservoir which is in the park. As of 2010, the largest bass from Louisiana was caught at Caney Lake.
Lake Bistineau State Park	Webster Parish	&&&&&&&&&&&&0750.&&&&&0750 acres (304 ha)	1938	Lake Bistineau State Park is the first state park in Louisiana to accommodate African Americans, starting in 1956. The two separated areas are an artifact of the segregated nature of the park at the time.
Lake Bruin State Park	Tensas Parish	&&&&&&&&&&&&&053.&&&&&053 acres (21 ha)	1956	Lake Bruin State Park was originally established in 1928 as a fish hatchery.
Lake Claiborne State Park	Claiborne Parish	&&&&&&&&&&&&0643.&&&&&0643 acres (260 ha)	1974	Lake Claiborne State Park is situated on, but does not include, Lake Claiborne, the park's main attraction. When at full reservoir level, Lake Claiborne has a surface area of 6,400 acres (2,590 ha).
Lake D'Arbonne State Park	Union Parish	&&&&&&&&&&&&0655.&&&&&0655 acres (265 ha)	1967	Lake D'Arbonne State Park offers disc golf. The course is located near the group camp.
Lake Fausse Pointe State Park	Iberia and St. Martin parishes	&&&&&&&&&&&06000.&&&&&06,000 acres (2,428 ha)	1987	The site was once part of the Atchafalaya Basin and the surrounding land was once the home of the Chitimacha Native Americans.
North Toledo Bend State Park	Sabine Parish	&&&&&&&&&&&&0900.&&&&&0900 acres (364 ha)	1987	The park is situated on Toledo Bend Reservoir, the 5th largest in the nation by surface area.
Palmetto Island State Park	Vermilion Parish	&&&&&&&&&&&01299.&&&&&01,299 acres (526 ha)	2010	The visitor center complex contains a water playground and a bathhouse.
Poverty Point Reservoir State Park	Richland Parish	&&&&&&&&&&&02700.&&&&&02,700 acres (1,093 ha)	2005	Due to an active bear population, bear-proof containers are provided for waste disposal throughout the park.
Saint Bernard State Park St. Bernard State Park	Saint Bernard Parish St. Bernard Parish	&&&&&&&&&&&&0358.&&&&&0358 acres (145 ha)	1971	A local family business donated the land for the park to Louisiana in 1971.
Sam Houston Jones State Park	Calcasieu Parish	&&&&&&&&&&&01087.&&&&&01,087 acres (440 ha)	1944	The park is located north of the most productive birding region of Louisiana. At certain times of year, nearly 200 species of birds can be seen within 30 miles (48 km) of the park.
South Toledo Bend State Park	Vernon Parish	&&&&&&&&&&&01000.&&&&&01,000 acres (405 ha)	2004	South Toledo Bend State Park is a nesting ground for the bald eagle, which feeds from the supply of freshwater fish, including largemouth bass, catfish, bream, and white perch.
Tickfaw State Park	Livingston Parish	&&&&&&&&&&&01200.&&&&&01,200 acres (486 ha)	1999	Tickfaw State Park contains four distinct ecosystems: a cypress/tupelo swamp, a bottomland hardwood forest, a mixed pine/hardwood forest, and the Tickfaw River.

Other names of current parks

The following are significantly different former or alternate names for current Louisiana state parks.

Former state parks

The following are parks that were officially recognized as a state park after the 1966 National Park Service review, but were later removed.

Park name	Parish	Size	Date Established	Date Removed	Remarks	Image
Hodges Gardens State Park	Sabine Parish	&&&&&&&&&&&&0700.&&&&&0700 acres (283 ha)	1956	October 1, 2017	The park features a 225-acre man-made lake that was built in 1954. After a funding issue, the donated property was reverted to the A.J. and Nona Triggs Hodges Foundation.