Dorcheat Bayou, Dixie Inn Louisiana

Dorcheat Bayou, Dixie Inn, Louisiana

Dorcheat Bayou east of Shreveport can be paddled north from about I-20. The actual launch is a public boat ramp at Dixie Inn, off of Highway 79 and just north of the freeway. I tried this launch once but the bayou was flowing so scary fast I instead went down to Lake Bistineau to the south. When I parked at the Dixie launch for the trip shown here, I drove up, got out of the car, and saw that thousands of nails had been spilled all up and down the road, everywhere. Big thick flat-headed roofing type nails. People that were parked here to visit a local fair were out of their cars, kids and adults alike, picking up nails in the road, fistfuls of them, hoping car tires were not punctured.

The trip itself is a great paddle, the channel is pretty linear and very scenic. I reached a railroad trestle upstream and since the bayou started to sprawl at that point and was less defined I made this the turnaround. It could be possible to go further up however. Nice trip, easy to access and paddle, a defined up and down, and close to Lake Bistineau.