When Fabgrandpa and I took our spur of the moment trip to Mission, Texas years ago, we spent a couple of nights at Lake Bistineau State Park in Louisiana. It was a rainy couple of days spent in a pop-up camper. Between downpours of rain, we walked around the campground some. There was a huge lake where you could go fishing if you had a Louisiana fishing license.
Lake Bistineau State Park, one of twenty-two state parks in Louisiana, is located on Lake Bistineau, a long and narrow waterway formed in 1800 as a result of extensive flooding created by a large log jam on the nearby Red River. It is located south of I-20 between Ruston and Shreveport. There are 71 campsites and 14 lodge/cabins. Hiking is a popular activity, with 10 miles of woodland trails. For those who want to see the park from the water, there is also a canoe trail.
During our stay at Lake Bistineau State Park, we went into the closest town and found a seafood shop. We bought some shrimp and crawfish, and took them back to our pop-up. I made a pot of gumbo that was delicious but left an awful smell inside the camper for days!
We hiked a trail out by the water, and saw some curious looking animals. These furry creatures looked sort of like beavers without the flat tail, but they had bright red teeth! They looked like they could chew your leg off if they got close enough to you. They turned out to be nutria, also called a coypu, butI had never heard of them before by any name. They say you can eat nutria, but I personally don’t think I could because they look too much like a rat. Ewwww!
For more information about Lake Bistineau State Park in Louisiana see their website.
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