Top of the Boot

​​Webster Parish is teeming with scenic waterways and lakes filled with adventures and memories waiting to be made. Sprinkled among the lakes and bayous in this northwestern part of the state are scenic state parks, excellent fishing and hunting grounds, and great nature-viewing areas, including portions of the Kisatchie National Forest, which spreads across some 600,000 acres. Explore a trail for a few hours, or map out a long weekend of paddling to experience them all. 

If calm-water canoeing interests you, beautiful Bayou Dorcheat winds its way through the entire length of Webster Parish. Once a major thoroughfare for paddleboats and steamships. Dorcheat offers scenic fishing, boating, and watersport opportunities. Sportsmen can access the bayou from a number of locations, including the neighboring village of Dixie Inn.

The pier at Lake Bistineau State Park is in a protected cove on the meandering 15,000-acre lake, one of the oldest in the state dating back to 1935. Its moss-laden cypress trees provide great cover and a scenic backdrop for bass, bream and red-ear sunfish, catfish, yellow bass. 

Kisatchie National Forest is the only national forest in Louisiana and spans 604,000 acres consisting mostly of bayous with bald cypress groves and old growth pine. Beautiful Caney Lakes just north of Minden are a part of the Kisatchie National Forest. The Caney Lakes Recreation Complex has a variety of day-use areas to choose from. The upper and lower lakes are perfect for enjoying a hike on the six-mile Sugar Cane National Recreation Trail, swimming at the day-use swim beach, playing volleyball, fishing from the shore, or picnicking at the vast selection of picnic facilities. Beaver Dam Campground is situated on the shores of Upper Caney Lake in the Caney Lakes Recreation Complex. The campground is located in a beautiful setting among woods, lakes and hills. 

Along the byway, enjoy the natural, scenic gems that you can’t see in the city. The roads are lined with colorful wildflowers including golden coreopsis, sunflower fields, crimson clovers, and more. Witness the well-kept, historic churches, bed and breakfasts, libraries, bridges, homes, and more. The Boom or Bust Byway forests were planted decades ago when forestry was booming, and other areas were recently harvested by the remaining forestry industries. Let your windows down to enjoy the fresh smell of pine trees as you drive past picture-perfect landscapes such as placid bayous, peaceful plantations, shady forests, and rich productive farmland. Agriculture has also experienced booms and busts, but the byway is home to the farmlands that survived hard times to be passed down for generations. Most importantly, the byway produces some of the best picturesque sunsets. visitwebster.net.

Sponsored by Visit Webster Parish