Days
<1
Motors Allowed?
Yes
Difficulty
Easy / Class A
Distance
1.00 mi (1.61 km)
Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. Learn more about how to apply the principles of Leave No Trace on your next outdoor adventure here.

Sam Houston Jones State Park is a recreation hotspot in the Lake Charles area, loved for its diversity of activities and overnight camping. Paddling is right up there with hiking, biking, and fishing as one of the best ways to spend a day or weekend here. The park contains three cypress-filled lagoons that are perfect for a calm paddle in shallow water surrounded by greenery and wildlife. Two of the lagoons are along the road near the picnic area, and they are very easy to access with a canoe or paddleboard. The third and largest is east of these and reached by a short walk through the woods or from the campground. They are not always full, however, because they may be drained or dried up depending on the time of year.

There is also the river, which is always available for paddling. This is the Calcasieu West Fork which forms one boundary of the park. Current is noticeable but easy enough to paddle against, so you can travel out and back in either direction. You will pass homes and private docks along the river, but boat traffic is normally low and there is still plenty of natural forest lining the rest of the banks. You can easily put on from the park's boat ramp, or from the low-walled bank at the picnic area. On both the river and the lagoons you are likely to see a lot of southern Louisiana's native residents like deer, herons, egrets, waterfowl, and turtles.

This paddle adventure was equipped by and published in collaboration with Bote Boards.

Logistics + Planning

Preferable season(s)

Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

Congestion

Moderate

Parking Pass

General Day Use Fee

Open Year-round

Yes

Pros

Multiple water bodies.

Cons

Houses along river. Lagoons may be dry.

Pets allowed

Allowed with Restrictions

Put-in location (lat, long coordinates)

30.294526, -93.265704

Take-out location (lat, long coordinates)

30.294526, -93.265704

Water Temperature

140.00 °F (60.00 °C)

Features

Family friendly
Flushing toilets
Picnic tables
Potable water
Boat ramp(s)
Wildlife
Fishing
Wildflowers

Trail type

There-and-back

Access

Vehicle

Typically multi-day

No

Shuttle required

No

Site characteristics: Water

River

Portage required

No

Location

Nearby Lodging + Camping

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