Caddo Lake is the largest natural fresh water lake in the southern United States, covering about 26,800 acres. It lies on the border of Louisiana and Texas and makes for a perfect socially-distanced weekend roadtrip for residents of the surrounding states. Flooded cyprus trees dripping with Spanish moss combine with the overwhelming serenity of the swamp for a unique and peaceful experience you wont find anywhere else.

Getting there:

Caddo Lake State Park is on the Texas Side of the lake near Uncertain, TX and all trails in this post are located there. We recommend driving as the best travel option or you can fly into one of the listed cities and rent a car. These are the approximate drive times from the surrounding major cities.

• 2.5 hours from Dallas, TX
• 3 hours from Little Rock, AR
• 4 hours from Houston, TX
• 5.5 hours from New Orleans, LA

Where to Stay:

• Camp at Caddo Lake State Park. The campsites accommodate a maximum of 2 vehicles and 8 people. Select campsites come with a screened in porch which provided great shelter from afternoon showers. Full service restrooms with showers were a short walk from the campsites and very well maintained. KOA type cabins and RV sites are also available. All sites can be booked here.Upon check-in the park rangers provide a Park map with multiple hiking trails noted. We didn’t get a chance to check any of them out, but they looked to be easy walking paths through the forest. There is also a boardwalk by the campsites where you can fish, enjoy sunset or rent hourly kayaks and canoes from the park staff.
• Rent an airBnB near Uncertain, TX. Waterfront houses line many parts of the lake and some are available for rent.

Kayak & Canoeing:

The best way to explore Caddo Lake is in a canoe or kayak. There are many designated paddling trails from various starting points and a couple options for rentals. First you must decide where to start then select a rental company and plan your route. Below is our suggestion for two days on the water.

Day 1–

Rent a canoe from Johnson’s Ranch Marina – located on Caddo Lake at 5131 East Cypress Drive, Uncertain, TX 75661. Canoe’s are rented first come first serve and cost 30$ for the entire day. They suggested arriving early to ensure you get one.

Below is a map of paddling trails you can access from Johnson’s Ranch Marina. A laminated copy of this map can be purchased with your rental or you can take a photo of it at the register.

If you plan to spend the whole day on the water like we did you will have time to hit almost all of these trails. We started the morning heading right from the Marina to Star Ditch which leads to Goose Prairie. This part of the lake is covered in lily pads and the flowers all fully open in the morning (best to see before noon).

Next we ventured into Old Folks Playground. With a canoe you can meander through the Cypress trees off the designated paths which are marked by signs. Old Folks Playground was said to be a good fishing spot so we took our time bass fishing with live worms we had picked up at the marina. You’ll find quite a few old bird stands in the Old Folks area which would make for a nice picnic spot.

We followed the Green “L” trail up to till it met marker C-58 where we started along the Turtle Shell Paddling trail. We took our time fishing along the orange route and setup a hammock for a lovely reading break.

In a canoe it’s easy to wonder from marker to marker off the boat trails. We made our way back to the white “A” trail to head north towards the famous Government Ditch.

Unfortunately we got caught in quite the rainstorm and rushed back to the Marina following the yellow “U” trail which passes all the waterfront houses.

Day 2-

Rent kayaks from River Bend Outfitters and request a put-in at Blackwater Jack’s which is located on Caddo Lake at 621 E Longs Camp Rd, Karnack, TX 75661. This company was great to work with. They had our kayaks on the shore waiting for us when we arrived and upon return we simply left them in the same spot. All coordination was via text and email. We paid $50/kayak for the day.

Below is a map of the trails you can access from Blackwater Jack’s. A laminated copy came with each kayak.

We started by paddling to Benton Lake. This portion of the lake has no boat traffic and was my favorite place we explored.

From the Benton Lake paddling trail we headed up to Old River II. This was mostly along the main river with heavier boat traffic and the trail left much to be desired. It’s good if your looking to get more miles in, but that’s about it.

Next we made our way back to Clear Lake Paddling Trail which was just past Blackwater Jack’s on the left. This trail felt like a hidden gem. There was no one else on it and it opened up to a beautiful secluded area. Would’ve been another great place to setup a hammock.

What to pack for a day on the Lake:

• Cooler – We love the Yeti Hopper Flip 18 which is the perfect size for day trips and always keeps everything ice cold.
• Insulated Coozies – It gets hot in the swamp and the right coozie makes your drinks much more enjoyable. We love the Brumate slim can coozies available here.
• Fishing Pole and bait. Blackwater Jack’s does not sell bait so make sure to pick some up before if you plan to fish on Day 2.
• Tackle Box – Filled with your fishing neccessities.
• Dry bag – especially in the kayaks everything seems to get wet. I love my Columbia PFG drybag because it packs very small unlike most thick bulky drybags. There are many other options on amazon as well. I recommend testing any dry bag before using it with valuables.
• Parachute Hammock – We picked up an off brand one on amazon for cheap, just make sure it comes with sufficient straps.
• A good book. Caddo Lake is beyond peaceful. Whether drifting in your kayak or rocking in a hammock over the water it’s a great place to take in a good book.
• Sunscreen.
• Bug Spray – we didn’t encounter too many mosquitoes while out on the water, but depending on the time of year you may.
• A trail map, laminated or just a picture – Trails are well marked near Johnson’s Ranch, but it is very helpful to be able to look up specific markers on the map to navigate with. We got off course a few times and had to refer to the map. There were very limited trail markers on day 2.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Comment below if you have any questions or if you’ve been to Caddo Lake and have anything to add!