Kisatchie National Forest

“This is part of a month-long festival called the Central Louisiana Outdoor Festival,” explained Amy Robertson about the upcoming Kisatchie National Forest Day on Saturday, March 15 from 9 am to 3 pm. “The idea behind it is to give people the opportunity to try different outdoor activities and experience the national forest.”

“People may not want to invest in a kayak or a mountain bike if they’ve never tried it,” added Robertson, who is a public affairs specialist for the national forest. But it is this initial obstacle to outdoor adventure that the festival is designed to overcome.

Throughout the day, attendees will be able to sample a wide range of activities for free, thanks to partnerships with the local fitness-business community.

“We are partnering with Red River Cyclery,” Robertson noted. “They are bringing out mountain bikes and helmets. The owner will give folks a short mountain biking clinic, then lead them on a trail ride. They can see what it is like and ask questions.”

Trail running, cross fit training, kayaking, and paddle boarding on Kincaid Lake are all on the agenda, as is yoga on the lake’s beach.

Robertson was quick to give kudos to the partners making the event possible: “It’s a shared passion for the outdoors. A lot of the fitness community…they love the national forest. They see it as such a great resource: it’s public land; it belongs to everyone,” she noted of the 600,000 acres of woodlands, lakes, and trails that comprise the Kisatchie National Forest. 

“If folks have never been, this would be a good introduction. They try something. They like it. And they’ll want to come back.”

For a good primer, read how Country Roads contributor Kathleen Sutcliffe discovered the joys of the forest here. More information on all the events scheduled for the Central Louisiana Outdoor Adventure Festival is at outdooradventurefestival.com.