Dispersed Camping on Forest Road 360 In Kisatchie National Forest

During the pandemic we spent a lot of time in the National Red Dirt Wildlife Management Preserve of Kisatchie National Forest in Louisiana. One spot we spent a couple weeks at was on forest road 360 and it was a pretty great spot.

You can stay in the national forest for free up to 14 days. When we get to a national forest we want to stay at we kinda just drive around till we find a spot we like then set up camp.

There are absolutely no amenities while dispersed camping in the middle of the forest. It’s just you, the trees and the wildlife.

No restrooms, water or hook-ups can be found out here. No trashcans means be sure to pack in what you pack out.

Leashed pets are allowed just please pick up after them. We had AT&T only at the time and had great service at the spot we chose. It got better once we added our booster to it.

If you need water during your stay in this area, a piped natural spring is located at the beginning of forest road 380 and has been used by the locals for decades. It’s some great tasting water and we filled up multiple times during our stay in the forest.

There are also water spigots and dumpsters located at the campground near the ranger station.

A homemade fire pit was already established at our spot so we just cleaned it up and reinforced it.

When looking for a campsite to disperse camp at in the forest we always try to pick sites that have obviously been used before. This helps reduce the impact we make in the forest.

Please place campfires in rings only and make sure all sparks are out before leaving them unattended.

The Sandstone Multi-Use Trail can be found in this section of the forest and consists of 36 miles of trail. Horses, ATV riders and hikers can all use the trail. Horse and ATV riders must pay $5 a day to use it though.

A ton of other hiking trails are also available for use in the area including the Caroline Dormon Trail, the many Kisatchie Hills Wilderness Trails and the Longleaf Vista Interpretive Trail.

If you don’t like the idea of camping in a spot in the middle of nowhere, there are plenty of free and cheap campgrounds in the area. All offer at least vault toilets while others offer trash and water as well.

Our particular spot was adjacent to an old work road that led to a habitat for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker. Because of this we got to talk to rangers multiple times and they were super nice and helpful.

This Louisiana forest was a great place to spend some time in and it’s an area we would love to camp in again.

Do keep an eye at for wild boar though in the area. We ran into two, which the beagle promptly scared off, while hiking on one of the trails here. We also heard them near our camp, but they never got really close.

I think the dog kept them away.