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Does anyone know anything about the Longleaf vista area in the Kisatchie National Forrest? My son and daughter in law live in Pineville near Alexandria and have found this area to take me for a day hike or maybe even an overnighter. Any reccomendations will be appreciated.
Graywolf
04-10-2010, 20:12
Does anyone know anything about the Longleaf vista area in the Kisatchie National Forrest? My son and daughter in law live in Pineville near Alexandria and have found this area to take me for a day hike or maybe even an overnighter. Any reccomendations will be appreciated.
Google Kisatchie..There is some great Mountain Bike trails there, so the hiking trails should be just as equal, if not more..Have fun..
Graywolf
Bear Cables
04-11-2010, 00:57
Not sure of longleaf but in Kisatchie there is a very good long trail, The Wild Azelea Trial. 29 miles, pretty creeks and hardwood, cypress swamp and hilly pines. Good camping along the way. One trailhead is in Woodson just before Alex coming from Opelousus. The other trail head is at Valentine Lake Rec area 10 miles out of Alex.
SGT Rock
04-11-2010, 07:20
Does anyone know anything about the Longleaf vista area in the Kisatchie National Forrest? My son and daughter in law live in Pineville near Alexandria and have found this area to take me for a day hike or maybe even an overnighter. Any reccomendations will be appreciated.
I think this may be the trail I tried hiking a few years back when stationed at Ft Polk. In many places the trail was totally gone from logging or neglect. The Wild Azalea was better hiking.
been a couple years since i've been there. doesn't compare to anything in the ozarks or appalachians, but it's remote, hilly in places, and the best you'll get around these parts (i work at polk.)
what you need to research is actually two trails, the Backbone Trail, whch is in the Kisatchie Hills Wilderness Area. It's a 6 mile trail closed to all motor traffic (no ATVs, boats, or aircraft. isn't that nice, but open to horses. some of them will be nice to you, others will be drunk. i've found it best to just take a few steps off the trail and behind a tree. in most cases, they go right by without seeing me. sorta funny, actually.) The first couple miles of the northern end are poorly blazed, and you have to kind of look for a hard Left-hand turn. The rest of it is ok. The blazes are 2-3" orange spray painted circles that haven't been redone in about 10 years.
the other trail is the Caroline Dorman Trail. It starts at the southern end of the Backbone Trail, where it crosses a hard surface road. it extends another 12 miles or so, maybe more, to the Kisatchie Bayou camping area.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/kisatchie/index.html
There's also the Sandstone Multiple Use (ie, shared with ATVs) Trail, if you don't mind them. Heaviest use is on the weekends or during hunting season (and it's almost always "open season" for one critter or another down here...but deer and turkey mostly)
Shutterbug
04-11-2010, 17:25
Does anyone know anything about the Longleaf vista area in the Kisatchie National Forrest? My son and daughter in law live in Pineville near Alexandria and have found this area to take me for a day hike or maybe even an overnighter. Any reccomendations will be appreciated.
I have "hiked" the Longleaf Vista trail many times. It is a 1.5 mile loop trail and is easy enough that the whole family can enjoy it. I put "hiked" in quotes because it is more of a walk in the woods than a hike.
It is a family recreation area with picnic tables, restrooms and easy road access. There are indications that some people have camped there, but it really isn't an overnight kind of place. The inidcations were more like it was a place for teens to have beer parties. It isn't the kind of place I would camp.
You didn't mention the time of year you will be there. It won't belong until the Louisiana unofficial state bird (mosquito) will be out in full force. Be sure to take some repellant.
The trail itself was blacktopped at one time, but time and mother nature have returned a lot of it to sand. There are a couple of ankle deep fords of creeks, but unless a thunderstorm has just passed, you can cross on stepping stones and not get your feet wet.
There is a long-distance trail that passes through the Longleaf Vista. I have not followed it very far, but from all appearances, it doesn't get much use. There is a trail map at the Longleaf Vista.
If you have specific questions, I will try to answer.