Chicot State Park, Ville Platte

Great place to stay, even in January. Had a good time. Nice sites with water and elect. Some have a little deck. Fun place for the kids with the lake, fishing dock, playground and kids trail. We enjoyed the dive coming in through the small towns as well.

Took a FREE guided kayak tour with a park ranger. We launched from the north boat ramp and OMG words cannot describe the beauty. Kayak trail is well marked with yellow signs. Lots of plant and animal life can be seen here. Within 5 minutes of my trip I saw 2 small alligators. Sitting in one opening I counted 15 different species of birds. Beautiful spiders and dragonflies. There are lots of wasp(hornet?) nests hanging in low branches but they were very docile and I was able to navigate them easily. This was my first visit to Chicot and I only experienced a very small section. I can’t wait to visit again.

Spent 2 nights February. There's not as much to do in the winter, but we did enjoy easy hikes. The sites had picnic tables, fire pits, and a grill. The stars were amazing. They have an interesting, hands on nature center, and very clean bath houses.

What an awesome park! The sites are large and clean, we're in our rv. The bathrooms are clean and well kept, the trails are wide and well maintained - plus their are a ton of them. You're basically guaranteed to see wildlife here, we've seen 2 armadillos, tons of lizards/skinks, stick bugs, butterflies, caterpillars, birds, turtles, even an alligator! The kids trail is fun and easy with cute lights, they have an awesome splash park, and a very nice little playground with no fireants that we could see immediately around the equipment. Overall this park is well maintained and clearly loved by the people who care for it. We're staying a week and we will definitely be back in the future!

Camped there 3 days, stormed the 2nd night (last night); loved that experience. We kayaked most of the 2nd day. Stayed clean with clean bathrooms and private shower separates in each bathroom. Plenty of land and hiking/riding areas. Beware of falling acorns/branches/etc, heard it all night and day banging of the roof of vehicles...