Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Louisiana / Kisatchie National Forest

Kisatchie Loop: Backbone, Sandstone, and Caroline Dormon Trails

Kisatchie National Forest, Kisatchie Ranger District (south of Natchitoches)

Three trails in the Kisatchie Ranger District can be stitched into one long backpacking loop: the Backbone Trail through the Kisatchie Hills Wilderness, the multi-use Sandstone Trail, and the Caroline Dormon Trail along Bayou L’Ivrogne to Kisatchie Bayou. Louisiana Hikes describes the loop at about 28 miles, with short road walks linking the pieces.

A shorter version skips the Sandstone Trail: Backpacker’s 2015 weekend route follows the Caroline Dormon and Backbone Trails for 18 miles point to point.

The hike

Louisiana Hikes starts at the Backbone trailhead lot off FR 339, near the Longleaf Scenic Byway, and walks back to the byway to pick up the green-blazed Sandstone Trail. It describes this first section, about 8 miles, as fairly level. A small pond around mile 3.5 is the first reliable water, and Bayou L’Ivrogne, around mile 5, is “a beautiful place to take a long break.” Shortly after, at FR 321, there’s an open campsite with room for several tents. Half a mile later, the route turns onto FR 366 for about a mile of road to Kisatchie Bayou Campground.

The Caroline Dormon Trail, about 10.5 miles, begins at the campground and parallels the Sandstone Trail back east. Louisiana Hikes notes a large gully around mile 11.5, a crossing of Little Kisatchie Bayou around 12.7, and Steep Branch around 18.5. Its separate Caroline Dormon guide says the trail follows and crosses Steep Branch near its eastern end, with most of the climbing in the half nearer Kisatchie Bayou. Country Roads says “the best part of the Caroline Dormon Trail is the three miles closest to Kisatchie Bayou Campground.”

From the Caroline Dormon trailhead, the loop returns on the Backbone Trail. Around mile 22, Louisiana Hikes says it’s “tempting” to add the Turpentine Hill Trail. Bayou Cypre, around mile 24, is the only reliable water on this stretch. Just past it are campsites on a sandstone outcrop, then a side trail to the best view. The author warns of “lots of dead trees still standing and ready to fall!” The last few miles stay fairly level to the trailhead.

Backpacker’s version starts at the Kisatchie Bayou end of the Caroline Dormon Trail, passes an overlook of Kisatchie Bayou at mile 2.5, crosses Bayou L’Ivrogne on the FS 360 bridge, and reaches a small year-round waterfall on Steep Branch. It meets the Backbone at mile 10.2 and camps 0.7 mile later on a sandstone bluff, then crosses Bayou Cypre at mile 13.8 and finishes at the Backbone trailhead on FS 339.

The Sandstone Trail is shared with ATVs, motorcycles, horses, and mountain bikes, per the Forest Service. Louisiana Hikes recommends going when motorized vehicles are off the trail, but the Forest Service brochure and trail status page say the Sandstone Multiple-Use Trail closes each year from January 2 through April, reopening the first week of May (see the notice). For the wilderness section alone, see the Backbone Trail.

Tips

Camping

The Forest Service says hikers on foot can camp almost anywhere on the forest outside designated recreation areas. Kisatchie Bayou Campground has 17 walk-in sites and one drive-in site, restrooms, and no potable water, per the Forest Service. Louisiana Hikes describes the sites as having a picnic table, bag pole, grill, and fire ring. In the Red Dirt National Wildlife Management Preserve, the newest permit found (2023-2024) limits camping from Oct. 1 to April 30 to designated camping areas and the Kisatchie Hills Wilderness; confirm the current rules and whether they cover your campsites. Backpacker (2015) mentions a self-issue permit at the trailhead.

Inside Intel: Backpacker’s pick is the sandstone outcrop 0.7 mile north of the Longleaf Vista Road crossing on the Backbone, a mesa with a fire ring, room for four tents, and views over the hills locals call the “Little Grand Canyon.” At Kisatchie Bayou Campground, Louisiana Hikes recommends the sites on the left for privacy and closeness to the trail.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

From a bayou campsite to a sandstone bluff:

A full Kisatchie Loop can mean camping by Kisatchie Bayou one night and on a bare outcrop above Bayou Cypre the next. See the backpacking tents reviewers recommend for mixed ground.

Read the full guide →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.