10 Reasons to Get Outside In & Around Lincoln Parish

Written by Tori Ward, Marketing/PR Assistant

Lake D'Arbonne State Park 

Located in the center of North Louisiana, the city of Ruston is surrounded by tall pine trees, gorgeous state parks, and fish-filled bodies of water. Louisiana didn’t get the title of "Sportsman’s Paradise" without being a prime location for outdoor recreation and adventure, and Lincoln Parish is no exception. 

In the Ruston & Lincoln Parish area you’ll find a wide variety of outdoor activities to get you out of the house or hotel room. Check out these 10 reasons to get outside in and around Ruston & Lincoln Parish!

1. Scenic Trails
Ruston & Lincoln Parish has several scenic trails that you can run, walk, and explore! Take your pick from Huckleberry Trails, Lincoln Parish Park, James Lake, Lake D’Arbonne State Park, Jimmie Davis State Park or Lake Claiborne State Park to experience some of the best trails in North Louisiana.

2. Fishing
Grab your fishing poles and bait and try your luck at one of the local lakes in Lincoln Parish! Lake Claiborne and Lake D’Arbonne are great spots to catch bass, crappie, catfish and bream. You can also do some great fishing on Caney Lake at Jimmie Davis State Park, James Lake, and the lake at Lincoln Parish Park. 

Sunset fishing on Caney Lake at Jimmie Davis State Park 

3. Picnicking
Take your lunch to-go and picnic at one of our local or state parks in Ruston & Lincoln Parish! With covered pavilions and several picnic tables scattered throughout the park, Lincoln Parish Park is one of our favorite picnic spots.

4. Wildlife Watching
James Lake has an incredible birding trail that is one of Louisiana's best places to enjoy bird watching with three locations to see these beautiful creatures - the viewing platform, the bridge and the lake's wooded walking trail. Jimmie Davis State Park, Lake D’Arbonne State Park and Lake Claiborne State Park are also great places to bird watch and appreciate local wildlife. 

Bird watch from the viewing platform at James Lake

5. Biking
Lincoln Parish Park is home to one of the best mountain bike trails in America. The ten-mile trail offers a challenging and exciting course for beginners and advanced riders alike. Lake D’Arbonne State Park, Lake Claiborne State Park and Jimmie Davis State Park also offer great biking trails for cycling enthusiasts.

Experience the nationally-recognized bike trail at Lincoln Parish Park

6. Boating

Is getting your boat out on the water your favorite outdoor activity? Lake D’Arbonne, Lake Claiborne and Caney Lake at Jimmie Davis State Park are perfect spots for boating of all kinds, as well as water skiing. If you’re looking for a smaller setting, take your canoe, kayak or paddleboard out to the lake at Lincoln Parish Park.

7. Camping

We have an abundance of camping options in Ruston & Lincoln Parish. Set up a tent and camp at Lincoln Parish Park, Lake Claiborne State Park, or Jimmie Davis State Park. If tent camping isn't your thing, then you can absolutely bring your RV camper out to any of those locations. Cabins and lodges are also available for rent at Lake Claiborne, Lake D’Arbonne and Jimmie Davis State Parks. 

Primitive tent camping at Jimmie Davis State Park 

8. Park Playing
Bring the kids out to play on the playgrounds at our local parks in Ruston! Click here to see a list of all Ruston parks. You can also play a fun game of Frisbee Golf at Hideaway Park, Lake Claiborne State Park or Lake D’Arbonne State Park.

9. Horseback Riding
Are you interested in horseback riding? Collins Natural Horsemanship in Lincoln Parish is a great place to take riding lessons, go on a pleasure ride or have a memorable birthday party. 

Horseback riding at Collins Natural Horsemanship

10. Geocaching
Geocaching is a real-world, outdoor treasure hunting game that uses GPS-enabled devices to lead participants to a geocache. There are hundreds of geocaches in the Ruston & Lincoln Parish area! Just use the Geocaching app to navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location. This is a fun activity for the whole family to get out and explore Ruston & Lincoln Parish!

We hope we’ve given you a reason to get outside this week in Ruston & Lincoln Parish! Let us know about your favorite outdoors activities in the comments below!

Tori Ward is a proud Louisiana native, born and raised in Shreveport, La. She is a Louisiana State University alumna and has a passion for all things PR. Tori is an avid movie watcher, coffee fanatic and lover of the outdoors. She is currently attending Louisiana Tech to pursue a master’s degree in business administration.