Went on a trip this past weekend and had a blast. Brandon and his team crushed it. Super friendly…read moreand helpful.

Had a great overnight trip with this family-owned and run business in mid-February. It was the…read moreperfect time to go, with warm days, cool nights, and no other boats in sight. We did the trip from Brooklyn to Cypress Landing in about 9 hours of travel with moderate paddling. Pay attention to your safety brief because they give a good description of your halfway point. We stopped on the first night before reaching it and had some extra paddling to do the next day. They warned us of one newly-downed tree that spanned the river, but said they would be out to work on it before the season picked up. We hit Cypress Creek right at our pickup time and our ride was there waiting for us. They do all of the heavy lifting during put-in and take-out. All you have to do is load up and shove off. The river itself had many bends, and was about 2/3 shallow with a fast current and the rest deep with little to no current. There were many stumps and downed branches to maneuver around, but no part of the river was impassable. It's impossible to get lost; simply stay in the widest part of the river and follow the current. There were numerous sand and gravel beaches that would make for a good picnic or campsite. The Black Creek Hiking Trail runs along the right side of the river--at times you can clearly see it--and provides a ready source of firewood.

Great boardwalk trail over the marsh. It's a good way to see wildlife on the northshore on an easy…read morehike.

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of…read morelife, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived" ― Henry David Thoreau, Walden I have always felt like Thoreau knew what he was talking about when he wrote that. It's been some time since I've gone to live in the woods, but I do think one can accomplish a lot by taking a walk alone into the wilderness. The boardwalk in this section of the Big Branch Refuge is a great place to take such a walk. Located in between Slidell and Lacombe, this section of the national refuge is somewhat different than the other two areas. This spot in particular is a half mile boardwalk trail that runs from the pine forest to the swamp. The trail lets you see first hand how the forest has subsided over the years and become swamp. The remnants of dead pine trees that could no longer survive the excessive moisture dot the landscape. As the trail continues, you will end a large expanse of swamp and an incredible view. There is also more trails to hike, but on my most recent visit I was running out of daylight. This trail is popular, but I have found that more times than not, you will be the only hiker. On my most recent trip I encountered several groups on my hike back, but only one group was irritating enough that I wanted to push them into the swamp. When people are hiking and enjoying nature, hooping and hollering is not enjoyable to others. My hike though the wilderness was very enjoyable. For the first part of the hike all that could be heard was the wind and the birds. If you need to think, want to take photos, or just enjoy a walk through the woods, check this trail out.

If you love he outdoors, solitude and dirt roads, the Clear Springs Recreation area is the place…read morefor you. Most people who visit this part of the Homochitto National Forest do so for either camping or lakefront activities. The lake here is typical of Mississippi lakes which is to say that it is beautiful, filled with fish and if you really want, you can swim in it. Surrounding the lake there are several picnic tables, shelters and permanently mounted charcoal grills. The lake has an area sectioned off for swimming, but let me warn you, this is no swimming pool. While I haven't personally swam in this lake, I have swam in many like it. Feel a little nibble while you're swimming? That's not your girlfriend, that's a perch. If you think that will freak you out, don't swim here. All of the stuff I just wrote about is great, but it is not why I visited here. My visit was a result of a guy at work telling me all about the dirt roads that run throughout the forest. Since it was a holiday weekend I couldn't get a map to find the roads so I just set out exploring. If dirt roads are what you are interested in, this is the section of the park to find them. Right before you come to the area to pay your fee there will be a gravel road toward your left. Do yourself a favor and follow it. The roads that traverse this park offer an amazing journey. There are actually several different roads, many of which my GPS picked up. The roads were labeled with numbers, but the main one was listed as Wagon Wheel Road on my GPS. Since the roads are gravel even a car can pass easily, but a truck or 4x4 would allow you to do what I did. Along the gravel roads there are many smaller dirt roads. I believe they are all part of the national forest road system, but they are not labeled. They are also more difficult to traverse and some even required high ground clearance and four wheel drive. I spent hours exploring this forest. During that time I never saw any other people. It was very peaceful. So why would anyone want to drive through a great expanse of forest on a dirt road? If you have to ask, this is probably not the place for you. If you enjoy this sort of thing, this is a great place to get away from it all.

A group of us took a trip here this past weekend. It was picturesque. We did hiking, mtn biking and…read moreswam in the lake. I strongly recommend it. We tent camped by the lake, but there are primitive sites way off the beaten track. It is a large forest with 20+ miles of trails. They were well marked along the trail itself but hard to find when you are crossing over the fire roads and connectors. We spent half the day on the trails and would have kept going if we would have brought more supplies. We only found the Richardson Trail worth biking and the pine smell and rolling hills were well worth all the energy we exerted. The Mill Road is a nice hike, just very rooty. Tally's is closed at the camping entrance, but we had to take it to connect to the Richardson for biking- it is also rooty. Highly recommend this spot! Note You can't make camping reservations early and RVs are not allowed.

During our cross country road trip in the summer of 2022, we traveled with the truck and trailer…read morefrom Los Angeles to Key West and back. My wife booked a few nights in Tickfaw state park, sight unseen, to be more or less in the vicinity of New Orleans, a plantation tour, and a swamp boat tour that we had booked months in advance. As it turned out, we actually enjoyed this state park stay more than our visit to New Orleans! The state park entrance is actually at the back of a neighborhood of sorts, on a narrow two-lane road that cuts away from the highway at a weird angle. Once inside the park proper, visitors are treated to beautiful swamps, complete with cypress trees, Spanish moss, and all the critters you would expect to find here. The campground we enjoyed had full hook ups, a small wooden deck, and a long back-in pad for our trailer. There was also a resident raccoon who kept us honest about locking things up at night, and securing coolers and food. Tickfaw state park features long boardwalks with railings, that afford visitors beautiful hikes in different parts of the park through different kinds of trees and plants. Unfortunately, many of these were still damaged in the summer of 2022 from the previous year's Hurricane Ida that blew through southern Louisiana and surrounding areas. The only trail that was not affected by this was the one without a boardwalk, so we enjoyed a hike through beautiful pines that went down to the river. Despite most of the trails being closed and damaged, we still enjoyed ourselves here, and had a good time. In the evening, I enjoyed casting topwater lures in on the cypress knees and trees, and caught & released several big bowfin... A fish that is sort of a cross between a catfish a bass, and a pit bull I suppose. I'm not sure when we will be back through this part of the world, but Tickfaw State Park is definitely a place that I would stay again: off the beaten path but close enough to where you want to be, peaceful and quiet, and the kind of southern serene that helps a SoCal guy like me to slow down and enjoy life a little bit.

$3 per person at the gate gets you in. The park has a lot of trails, camp sites, kayaking and…read moreplenty of things to do. The nature center has a lot to read about the area and the things you will see in the area. The guy working was friendly, very informative. Everything seemed well organized.

We stayed a week at the POW campsite. The trails were great. We'll marked and easy. The pons is…read morebeautiful with a beaver dam raising the level a little. I would recommend this site for a short boondocks stay. Now the drawbacks. No water , no dumpsite. No picnic tables or fire rings. My wife and I spent one day just picking up the garbage and the remains of homeless tents and garbage. Busy with hunters and campers.

Years ago someone started the trend of the milestone review. Every 100 reviews, you're supposed to…read morereview something special. For my 1400th, I've chosen somewhere that was very special to me as a kid, but remains special as an adult. This review will be a little long winded so if that scares you off, go ahead and stop reading now. Back when I was a teenager my scout troop came here because it was the starting point of our backpacking trip on the Tuxachanie Trail. I was pretty much uninterested in history then, but when I learned the area once housed a WWII POW Camp, I was fascinated. Not much was left of the camp back then. It was just a few concrete bunkers that my juvenile mind thought were the remains of prison cells. It wasn't until much later that I realized they were the remains of ammo bunkers. My friends and I ran around like maniacs and climbed all over that bunkers. Had we known what was in store, we would have chosen to rest instead. The Tuxachanie Trail is 22 miles one way if you hike the whole thing. Most people start at the opposite end, but we started here as it is 13 miles to the nearest camping area. While on the trail we saw snakes, birds, trees, wildflowers and a whole lot of woodland scenery. I packed smart, but most of my friends did not. Those packs began to get mighty heavy around mile five. The memories of that hike are much more vivid, and in some cases funny, but for brevity sake, I will explain why it's still special today, and why I think you should visit this area. Despite the ominous sounding name, there really isn't much that would make you know this was once a POW camp for German soldiers. The aforementioned bunkers are still there, but now that I know what they were for, it isn't as frightening as when I thought they were prison cells. The area near the bunkers is a giant space that's been cleared of trees. Next to that area is a large and beautiful lake filled with water lilies, bullfrogs and small fish. The view from the shore was quite beautiful in particular the reflection of the surrounding forest and sky on the surface of the lake. The juxtaposition of the perfectly still water and the ever changing clouds was truly magnificent. Had it not been so sweltering hot, I could have stood there for hours. So for most people, this is where the review would end. But as you may have learned from my previous reviews, I am not most people. I noticed it as soon as I started driving away from the lake. There it was just calling to me. A good ole American dirt road and I just had to explore it. The road from the POW Camp is not for the faint of heart (car drivers). While it is mainly gravel and suitable for 2WD vehicles, it was rutted in some areas so higher clearance would help. The drive through the woods was peaceful and fairly uneventful. But the little trail I found off of the dirt road led me to paradise. I took that trail not knowing where it led or what was in store for me. It was blocked by a fallen tree, but it was no match for my well-equipped, yet stylish vehicle. I just put it in 4WD and climbed right over that thing. Hell Yeah! Enough of that badassery and back to the reason I mentioned the trail. The trail ended up leading to a different area of the lake that I had not seen before. This area was even more beautiful as it was filled with lilies as far as the eye could see. This is the area where I felt the most at peace. I felt fulfilled. I realize that will probably sound too touchy feely especially after I just mentioned the badassery of driving over a tree, but I am never happier than when I am out in the wilderness. Maybe it's all the time I spent in the woods as a kid. Maybe it's the fact that the woods let the hustle and bustle of everyday life seem like just a distant memory. Maybe it's something else. All I know is that being surrounded by trees is an experience every red blooded American should have, and one they should have regularly. Did I lose you? If not, thanks for reading.

This is a nice outdoor space. There are walking trails, a "beach" area and a great place to see…read moresome indigenous plants. I've been here before on a guided hike and got learn about the unwanted plants and trees that ended up growing there. I was grateful to see that during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was still open to public. Unfortunately, people did not physically distance like I would have wanted them to, but oh well. If you want to get in touch with nature a bit, come check this place out, especially before it gets too hot outside. When we arrived on Sunday, there were a lot of people, but parking was still plentiful. It's closer to Central and north Baton Rouge area. It's also across the street from the famed church Life Tabernacle Church. I can only see myself going back there during the fall and spring months... summertime there will not be happen.

This was a favorite spot for me and my best friend to hang out at. There are two lakes in the front…read morethat many people fish in. There are walking paths great for jogging and taking a stroll through the woods. My favorite part was the man made beach in the back at the comite river. The water only got as deep as my knee. It was nice to just play around in the water and play on the tire swing someone put up. We also liked to sun bathe on the sand bank. Some people made fires there at night. It was a nice and peaceful way to relax. It's a good spot to bring your dogs as well! Be careful though because we have stumbled upon snakes a few times on the trail path to the beach!

Nice little Park off the highway and easy to miss., turn around at next exit (we did)…read more Entrance near an industrial area, lots of trucks in and out. Nice parking area along the water, with some picnic tables. An information board located near entrance. Some people were just parked (maybe enjoying the view), a Ranger did drive thru. So the area is monitored. A decent trail with a nice boardwalk takes you into the refuge with views of the marsh and water. We were here mid-day so it was quiet. Some birds, and lots of turtles. On way out, net Blair (local birder) and we talked about sightings in area. He told me about a Kingfisher that hangs out over waterway off main road. The Kingfisher was right where he said it would be - we did not stop (lots of trucks) passing by. Nice to talk to locals, especially fellow bird enthusiasts. Worth a stop !!!

Is the hustle and bustle of city life getting you down?…read more Do you find yourself becoming stressed from traffic? Do you need a break? If you answered yes to the above questions, I have just the thing to cure what ails you. What is this miraculous cure you ask? Dirt. That's right friends, good ole 100% American dirt. Get you some. I realize that the words posted above these may seem ridiculous, and for some it won't help, but for me, getting off the road and into nature helps me every time. The Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge is one such place that I recommend you check out. This NWR is located off of the very last exit before Mississippi (Pearl River Turnaround). If you're heading from Louisiana, exit, turn left and drive down the first dirt road you encounter. There isn't really a very good sign, but you'll know it when you find it. As you first enter the NWR you will encounter a very cool railroad bridge. For many, this will be the coolest thing you see, but for me there is much more. The roads through the NWR are dirt and rock only. They are fairly well packed so four wheel drive is not necessary, but I would be reluctant to take a car back here if it is low slung. The roads run for many miles through the middle of the refuge and you are unlikely to encounter any other humans if you go during the week. If hiking is your thing, there are a few trails that I have yet to explore, but they do look promising for a brief nature hike. Each trail has its own parking area which is convenient since parking on the road wouldn't be ideal. The roads here seem to go on forever. I would guess that it took me nearly thirty minutes to drive the entirety of the main road. It ended up at a weird camp type residential area, finally dead ending at a very run down looking trailer. I haven't fully explored all of the roads yet, but it does seem to be a one way in, one way out situation. The hour or so I spent on my first trip invigorated me and I can't wait to go back.

With everything in life, you get what you pay for…read more You pay for cheap park, you get cheap park. BUT- with that being said, it's a wonderful park to be in. My family camps there at least once every 6 weeks. A lot of families within the 3 surrounding counties spend a lot of their time there. It's just what you do. Bonus- If your there on a Saturday, stop by the Pike County Speedway for some redneck, dirty boots required fun. Yehaw!

This place is gorgeous!!! Only thing I suggest there is no microwave so bring one if you can!read more

Aiery Lake is a great place to fish, a great place to camp and a great place to take photos. It is…read morealso a great place for an embarrassing story from yours truly. This area of The Desoto National Forest is a good stopping point while hiking the Tuxachanie Trail. Depending where you begin your hike, this area is either 13 miles or 8 miles from the beginning of the trail. Personally I would rather do my long hike on the first day and the short hike the next day, but either way, Aiery Lake is a good stopping point. There are several areas to camp at Aiery Lake including some closer to the parking area. I think if you get away from the parking area you will have a more enjoyable experience, but if you want to be close to your vehicle, you can be. There aren't many facilities here, but there are actual bathrooms which is much nicer than digging a latrine in the middle of the woods (I know from firsthand experience). The Lake itself is beautiful. On a calm day the surface of the lake looks like glass and gives the perfect reflection of the sky and surrounding wilderness. If you're like me and love the view of objects reflected in the water, this is a must see. My kid thinks it would be pretty neat if I could somehow catch the mirror image of my Jeep reflected on a lake, but I have yet to find a suitable location. The lake here doesn't have vehicle access to the opposite side so I will have to keep searching. I am not much of a fisherman, but based on the number of people fishing, I suspect fishing is pretty good in the lake. If I would have had a pole I would have gladly sat around all day taking in that view, drinking beer and pretending to fish. Since I didn't have any of those items, I just watched others fish. So there are all of the reasons to go to Aiery Lake. Even if you are just passing through, it is a beautiful area and I encourage you to stop. As for this area being the location of an embarrassing story, I am somewhat reluctant to tell it, so please don't ridicule me too badly. Many years ago when I was a 13 or 14 year old Boy Scout, my troop hiked the Tuxachanie Trail. When we were almost to Aiery Lake we noticed two or three similarly aged girls and decided to try and impress them. In my underdeveloped juvenile brain I decided that the way to impress the girls was to use my "talent" of singing. I chose what was quite the popular song at the time and as we approached them I started singing. I must have underestimated the distance between us and them because by the time we passed I had come to part of the song which went a little something like this: "I did it like this, I did it like that, I did it with a wiffle ball bat sooooo I'm on the run, the cops got my gun........". As you can probably guess my lyrics were overwhelmingly unsuccessful in impressing anyone, much less the girls. I don't know if it was my singing, or if they saw some sort of poisonous reptile, but they ran as fast as their legs would carry them in the opposite direction. Later that evening in the camp site we decided a reconnaissance mission was in order. My friends and I walked over to their area and stood in the darkness trying to work up the courage to talk to them. I guess lurking behind a tree wasn't very impressive either as we got the cold shoulder once again. Looking back all I can do is laugh at how awkward and embarrassing the entire experience was. So there you have it. Aiery Lake is a great place unless you're a goofy awkward teenager.

Loved this place for a day hike! The trails are well maintained and there is plenty of parking…read more There are also trash cans and a public restroom at the parking location. They have several large campsites as well right by the lake.

I always love it here ! It is so peaceful and relaxing here! This was also where I kissed my wife…read morefor the first time

We go every year for family reunions. Lots of cabins to stay in. Park is currently renovating…read morecabins. My only complaint to that is, they are going from 3 queen beds to one queen bed and a pullout couch bed. It is going to be hard for families to stay for the required 3 night stay. The park is beautiful and they have lots of activities for families to do.