Bogue Chitto State Park

Bogue Chitto State Park
An entrance area controls visitors to the park.
Map showing the location of Bogue Chitto State Park
Map showing the location of Bogue Chitto State Park
Map of Louisiana, United States of America
LocationWashington Parish, Louisiana, United States of America
Coordinates30°46′03″N 90°09′26″W / 30.767527983°N 90.1573070°W / 30.767527983; -90.1573070[1]
Area1,786 acres (7.23 km2; 2.791 sq mi)[1]
EstablishedAugust 28, 2010 (2010-08-28)[2]
Visitors116,123 (in 2022)[3]
Governing bodyLouisiana Office of State Parks
Official website

Bogue Chitto State Park (pronounced bo-guh chit-uh)[4] is a Louisiana state park located off Louisiana State Highway 25 south of Franklinton, in Washington Parish. The name Bogue Chitto is from the Choctaw language, bok chito, meaning big creek.[4] Bogue Chitto is a relatively recent addition to the Louisiana State Park system. It opened to the public on August 28, 2010, after a delay of approximately three months.[2]

Bogue Chitto State Park has a visitors center, a conference room, picnic pavilions, and a lodge overlooking a 90-foot (27 m) bluff. Guests may stay at one of four upland cabins or park among the 81 recreational-vehicle (RV) sites. A group camp may be reserved for overnight visitors, as well. There is a canoe launch into the Bogue Chitto River, fishing piers, an amphitheater, and a water playground. The site contains eleven lakes stocked with freshwater fish. There are more than 7 miles (11 km) of nature trails and 14 miles (23 km) of equestrian trails. Bogue Chitto is also home to a moderately difficult 18 hole disc golf course, winding through hilly wooded terrain.

The state park is 1,786 acres (7.23 km2) in size. Notable physical features are small streams, cypress-tupelo swamps, and both upland and bottomland hardwood forests. Of particular interest is a gorge known as Fricke's Cave, which contains delicate sandstone formations.

The park's address is 17049 State Park Boulevard, Franklinton, Louisiana.

  1. ^ a b "Bogue Chitto State Park - Louisiana Office of State Parks". Office of State Parks, Department of Culture Recreation and Tourism. Archived from the original on January 12, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  2. ^ a b Derry, Jim (August 4, 2010). "Bogue Chitto State Park near Franklinton set to open at the end of this month". The Times-Picayune. Advance Publications. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
  3. ^ "Fiscal Year 2024 Executive Budget Review Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism" (PDF). Louisiana House of Representatives. March 29, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Baca, Keith (June 1, 2007). Native American place names in Mississippi. University Press of Mississippi. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-57806-955-2.