Surrounded on three sides by water in the Calcasieu River system, Sam Houston Jones State Park covers 1,087 acres just north of Lake Charles at 107 Sutherland Road. Largely wooded, the park provides visitors with abundant opportunities for hiking, bird watching, fishing, camping, picnicking and other outdoors activities.
“When people visit the park, they get a rich experience of the local southwestern Louisiana environment no matter what their interests are,” said Tracie Ramey, the park manager. “This includes camping and nature trails for hiking and biking. A new disc golf course should be finished this summer. We have newly constructed cabins with updated layouts and all the amenities of home.”
The word “Calcasieu” comes from the French translation of the Atakapan Native American word “quelqueshue,” meaning “crying or screaming eagle.” People can launch boats into the Calcasieu River and explore the numerous nearby interconnecting waterways, water ski, swim, paddle or participate in any other aquatic sports. The park rents kayaks for paddlers without boats.
“The park borders the Calcasieu River and we have a 500-foot boardwalk to enjoy up close amazing views,” Ramey said. “In addition, we have multiple points in the park where people can enjoy fishing or relaxing by the river.”
People frequently see bald eagles in the park and along the Calcasieu River, especially during the winter. Birdwatchers might also spot various herons, egrets, ibis, roseate spoonbills, wood ducks, hawks, owls and other birds in or near the park. Nearly 200 species of birds live in the area.
Lots of great fishing
The Calcasieu River runs about 200 miles through southwestern Louisiana. North of the saltwater barrier, just south of the park, people can fish the river, numerous backwaters and tributaries for largemouth bass, crappie, catfish and various bream species. As a river system, it produces better numbers of bass than it does trophy sizes, but the river does hold some bass in the 5- to 7-pound range and a few bigger ones. Most bass probably average about 2 to 3 pounds.
To the south, the Calcasieu River flows into the waterbody of Lake Charles. From there, the Calcasieu Ship Channel, a deepened and straighter waterway roughly following the old river channel, connects the Port of Lake Charles with the Gulf. The waterway and associated lakes, bayous and marshes provide great places to catch large speckled trout, redfish, black drum, sheepshead, flounder and other salty species.
Sam Houston Jones
The park takes its name from Sam Houston Jones, who served as governor of Louisiana from May 1940 to May 1944. The governor grew up in southwestern Louisiana and once lived in Lake Charles.
“Governor Sam Houston Jones was very instrumental in securing this land the park sits on for the future enjoyment of the people,” Ramey said. “Now people can enjoy such things as hiking, mountain biking, birding and camping. We offer 10 deluxe cabins, a lodge and 30 camping spots. We have six hiking trails that cover about 8 total miles.”
Hikers can take the scenic trail along the river or a swamp walk among other trails. With most of the park left natural, visitors can enjoy seeing tree-filled lagoons, mixed pine and hardwood forests. In the forests and on the hiking trails, park visitors might spot whitetail deer, squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, bobcats, foxes and other animals.
The park restored and preserves more than 70 acres of longleaf pine forest. Longleaf pine forests once stretched from Virginia to Texas. Land use, logging, urban encroachment and development left less than 10 percent of their original acreage in Louisiana.
The park remains open 365 days a year. For more information, call 337-855-2665 or check out www.lastateparks.com/parks-preserves/sam-houston-jones-state-park.
