The Best Campsites for Louisiana Survival Preppers!

As any true survivalist will tell you, preparation is everything. And here in Louisiana, when you’re living with a mix of heat, humidity, wild animals, and natural disasters like hurricanes, your ability to survive could depend on the places you camp, how you prepare, and how well you know the land. Louisiana may be known for its swamps, bayous, and marshlands, but it also offers some of the best and most challenging camping locations for preppers looking to test their mettle and hone their survival skills.

Whether you’re looking for a secluded patch of land to practice your bushcraft, or you need to be prepared to hunker down in a spot that could be a refuge if the grid goes down, Louisiana’s campgrounds offer all of that and more. The state’s diverse ecosystems—from its vast swamps to its thick forests—provide the perfect environment for those who wish to hone their skills and be ready for anything life (or nature) throws at them.

Here’s a list of 30 of the best campsites in Louisiana for survival preppers, plus tips on why each of them should be on your radar. These locations combine the wild beauty of Louisiana with the perfect opportunity for preppers to practice techniques like fire-starting, shelter building, and long-term wilderness survival.

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1. Kisatchie National Forest

Located in the heart of Louisiana, Kisatchie is a vast stretch of wilderness that spans over 600,000 acres. This forest has it all: steep hills, creek beds, and plenty of wildlife like deer, wild hogs, and waterfowl. It’s a great spot for preppers to practice their tracking and hunting skills, and the dense pine forests make it perfect for shelter-building exercises.

2. Caddo Lake State Park

The swamps and marshes surrounding Caddo Lake are perfect for preppers who want to practice their waterborne survival skills. Canoe camping and learning how to survive in a swampy environment can provide valuable insights that other terrains simply cannot offer.

3. Chemin-A-Haut State Park

This park offers beautiful woodlands with a variety of survival resources like wild edibles and fresh water. It’s ideal for practicing your fishing and trapping techniques as well as learning how to navigate dense forest areas.

4. Jimmie Davis State Park

With its proximity to the Ouachita River, this park offers a great combination of forest and water-based survival options. You’ll find fishing, shelter-building materials, and various animal species to practice hunting and tracking.

5. Hodges Gardens State Park

Hodges Gardens offers stunning landscapes with lush greenery and a diversity of habitats. This park is ideal for learning plant identification and survival foraging, skills every prepper should have.

6. Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge

With swamps, rivers, and forests, Tensas River is the perfect place for those wanting to immerse themselves in a truly wild environment. It’s also a top spot for practicing water-based survival skills, like constructing a raft and navigating the river.

7. Bayou Segnette State Park

Located near New Orleans, this park is perfect for preppers looking to practice in a swampy, humid environment. It’s a great place for learning water purification methods, catching fish, and gathering plants for food.

8. Lake Fausse Pointe State Park

If you want to hone your survival skills in a true bayou environment, this is your place. Surrounded by dense cypress forests, marshes, and waterways, Lake Fausse Pointe is an excellent choice for learning water navigation and wilderness living.

9. Avery Island

Known for its salt domes and the famous Tabasco sauce factory, Avery Island is also a prime spot for exploring the bayou. It’s a remote location that offers excellent opportunities for shelter-building and testing your survival skills in a very challenging environment.

10. Grand Isle State Park

Grand Isle offers a unique environment with both beach and marsh areas. The combination of saltwater and marshland gives preppers the opportunity to practice a range of survival tactics, from fishing and trapping to shelter building in less-than-ideal conditions.

11. DeSoto State Park

This park is ideal for preppers who want to test their wilderness skills in a beautiful but rugged terrain. With forested hills, streams, and diverse wildlife, this area is perfect for practicing tracking, hunting, and setting up shelters.

12. Cat Island National Wildlife Refuge

Located near St. Francisville, this wildlife refuge offers a mix of marshland and forested areas. It’s a great spot to practice your navigation and survival skills while learning to identify animals and plants in a subtropical climate.

13. Tunica Hills Wildlife Management Area

This area offers rugged terrain with dense forests and steep ravines. It’s ideal for practicing shelter-building, fire-starting, and using natural materials to create useful tools. The challenging terrain makes it a perfect spot to test your endurance and bushcraft skills.

14. Palmetto Island State Park

For those looking to practice their survival skills in an environment that’s a mix of wetland, swamp, and forest, Palmetto Island offers plenty of opportunities. This park is a good spot to learn how to construct a camp in a wet environment and master skills related to water purification and survival fishing.

15. Poverty Point Reservoir State Park

This park offers a mix of wooded areas and open water. A prime location for fishing and shelter-building, it’s also an excellent choice for learning to trap animals and forage in a variety of habitats.

16. Sabine National Wildlife Refuge

Located in the southwestern part of the state, Sabine is another prime location for preppers who want to practice survival skills in a swampy environment. Its vast marshes and wetlands offer the perfect opportunity to learn water survival skills and test your ability to forage for food in wetland environments.

17. Red River National Wildlife Refuge

A beautiful area with wetlands and forests, this site offers opportunities to practice hunting, foraging, and fire-starting in an environment where you’ll need to be resourceful.

18. Bogue Chitto State Park

This park offers a unique blend of pine forests, creeks, and wetlands, ideal for preppers looking to hone their skills. It’s a good spot for learning about navigation and animal tracking, as well as creating makeshift shelters from natural materials.

19. Lacassine National Wildlife Refuge

With its unique mix of swamp, prairie, and wetlands, Lacassine offers the opportunity for preppers to practice a variety of survival skills, including navigation, shelter building, and identifying local flora and fauna.

20. Piney Woods Conservation Area

For preppers interested in wooded survival, this area offers a range of environments from wetlands to dense forests. It’s perfect for fire-starting, water purification, and animal tracking.

21. St. Tammany Parish

This area offers a blend of swamp and forest, making it perfect for those looking to survive in a humid, wet environment. The St. Tammany Parish area is home to wildlife and a range of survival resources, from water sources to shelter-building materials.

22. Atchafalaya National Wildlife Refuge

This is a vast and wild wetland area that challenges even the most seasoned prepper. Practicing your canoeing skills, building shelters, and learning how to survive in wet, swampy conditions will test your skills to the fullest.

23. Lake Martin

A beautiful spot surrounded by cypress trees and swamps, Lake Martin is a great place for practicing water navigation and refining your ability to forage and track animals in wetland environments.

24. Fort Pike State Historic Site

Located on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain, Fort Pike is perfect for practicing coastal survival skills, including shelter-building, fire-starting, and water purification in a coastal environment.

25. Bastrop State Park

Bastrop offers great opportunities for preppers interested in learning about fire-starting, shelter building, and tracking animals in a wooded environment.

26. Lake D’Arbonne State Park

This park offers a range of environments from forest to lakefront, making it perfect for practicing a variety of survival techniques, including fishing, hunting, and building shelters in different settings.

27. The Grassy Lake Wildlife Management Area

With its diverse wildlife and varying terrain, the Grassy Lake area is perfect for preppers looking to hone their bushcraft, trapping, and fire-starting skills.

28. D’Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge

Another excellent wetland environment, this area offers ample opportunity to test your survival skills in challenging swampy conditions.

29. Turtle Cove Eco Tours

If you want to learn how to survive in the Louisiana swamps with a focus on water-based skills, Turtle Cove is a great option for getting hands-on experience with water navigation, fishing, and emergency shelter building.

30. Vermilionville Historic Village

For preppers interested in cultural history, Vermilionville offers a unique opportunity to combine survival skills with historical knowledge. It’s a great place to learn about survival techniques used by the area’s early settlers.