Wet conditions limit Bogue Chitto State Park amenities

Published 12:00 am Sunday, January 20, 2013

Courtesy of the seemingly constant rainfall Washington Parish experienced throughout the previous couple of weeks, visitors will not be able to experience all Bogue Chitto State Park has to offer for at least a little while longer.

Currently, the park’s day-use area and the bottomland campground are closed to the public. The campground was closed on Jan. 9 when the area began experiencing high water, and the day-use area was closed at the same time as a precautionary measure, said Sharon Stroud Broussard, Louisiana State Parks public information officer.

“As high water did make it into both areas and currently remains, we are awaiting the water to recede before re-opening them,” she said. “Park staff will assess the areas on Jan. 25.”

Reservations for the park’s campground, cabins, group camp, lodge, meeting room and pavilions are made through the website reserveamerica.com.

“Visitors who had reservations at Bogue Chitto State Park’s bottomland campground have been contacted regarding their stay,” Broussard said, adding those individuals had the option of rescheduling or requesting a refund.

The equestrian trail is closed too, since parts of the trail wind through the park’s lower areas where standing water is present, Broussard said.

However, the cabin area, upland campground, meeting room and group camp remain open to visitors.

The park is a popular destination in the parish. From July — when the current fiscal year began — through the end of November, the park has seen 34,245 visitors. Roughly 70 percent of the visitation to Bogue Chitto is overnight, Broussard said.