Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Louisiana / Kisatchie National Forest

Wild Azalea National Recreation Trail

Kisatchie National Forest, Calcasieu Ranger District, Evangeline Unit (near Alexandria and Woodworth)

The Wild Azalea National Recreation Trail runs through the pine hills and creek bottoms of the Kisatchie National Forest’s Evangeline Unit, west of Alexandria, from Valentine Lake to the town of Woodworth. The Forest Service lists it at 26 miles and says it can be done as day segments or as a two-day hike, and it was certified as a National Recreation Trail in 1978, according to the National Recreation Trails database.

It is named for the wild azaleas that bloom along it, which Wikipedia says are best seen in March and April.

The hike

Most guides start at the north end, at a trailhead parking area on the south side of Valentine Lake. The Forest Service says that lot is about 2 miles past the Valentine Lake day-use area on Forest Road 282. Wikipedia says the route is marked with yellow diamond-shaped badges.

Hiking Project describes rolling pine hills at first, with a fire tower built in the 1930s nearby, then Valentine Creek and a steep climb on the far side. Paria Outdoor Products, in a January 2024 guide, puts the Wild Azalea Seep before Evangeline Camp; Hiking Project describes the seep as an acid seep with several orchid species and the only known bog moss population west of the Mississippi River.

Around mile 7.5, both Hiking Project and the National Recreation Trails database note a camping spot by Lamotte Creek with a well-built bridge. Evangeline Primitive Camp, around mile 9, has a toilet but no running water. The Forest Service places the camp 4 miles south of Louisiana Highway 28 on Forest Road 273 (Messina Road).

Past Evangeline, Hiking Project says the terrain gets hillier toward the Castor Creek Scenic Area, at the junction of Brushy and Castor Creeks, with large loblolly pine, gum, beech, magnolia, and bald cypress. Backpacker, writing in 2001, called Castor Creek one of the last old-growth forests in the state. Some crossings are bridged and some require wading. Hiking Project calls miles 13 to 19.5 the most strenuous stretch, with frequent climbs; the last miles roll through hills with fewer creeks and some blowdowns left from a 2016 tornado. Wikipedia notes that Louisiana Highway 488 crosses about midway.

The final 1.7 miles are mostly a road walk to the parking area in Woodworth, which Country Roads and Paria identify as Woodworth Town Hall.

Paria’s two-day plan camps at Clear Creek after about 12.5 miles, then finishes the remaining 12 miles to Woodworth. A Hiking Project user reported walking Woodworth to Valentine Lake in late September 2017 over about 50 hours, with mosquitoes along the way.

For a rockier Kisatchie overnight about an hour north, see the Backbone Trail in the Kisatchie Hills Wilderness.

Tips

Camping

Camping is allowed next to the trail, at least 30 feet from its centerline, according to Wikipedia and Country Roads. The Forest Service says hikers on foot can camp almost anywhere outside designated recreation areas, and no permit is required, per Paria. Evangeline Primitive Camp, around mile 9, has a toilet but no water. At the north end, Valentine Lake’s Northshore Campground has 14 sites and potable water, according to the Forest Service. Carry out all trash.

Inside Intel: Paria’s 2024 guide makes Clear Creek, about 12.5 miles from Valentine Lake, its overnight stop, which splits the trail into two nearly even days. Hiking Project describes the Lamotte Creek spot near mile 7.5, by its well-built bridge, as a great camping area.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Wading creeks toward Castor Creek:

Near the Castor Creek Scenic Area, some Wild Azalea crossings are bridged and some require wading. Five tips for those wet crossings, from timing to unbuckling your pack.

Get the five tips →

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.