Fort Saint Jean Baptiste State Historic Site
Managed by National Park Service
6 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dogs usually limited
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Wikilester1999 · CC BY-SA 4.0COutdoors
Outdoors in Natchitoches
Natchitoches has 8.4 miles of mapped trails, 0.4 for every square mile of land
44 acres are parks and preserves, 2.5 per 1,000 residents. 55% of residents live within a half mile of a park.
Ahead of 29% of U.S. towns · #78 of 162 in Louisiana. What drives it
Conserved land
1%
132 acres · of 23.2 sq mi of land
Trails
8.4 mi
0.4 per sq mi of land
Park land
44 ac
2.5 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
55%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
4
What kind of outdoors town is Natchitoches?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Natchitoches have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Natchitoches is ahead of 29% of U.S. towns, #78 of 162 in Louisiana. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
C
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Natchitoches’ overall grade.
Conserved land1% of the land · typical LA town 1% · U.S. 4%CTrails0.4 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (8 mi) · LA 0.1 · U.S. 0.4BPark land2.5 acres of park per 1,000 residents (44 acres) · LA 5 · U.S. 13C−Parks close to home55% of residents within a half mile of a park · LA 53% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 29%
LessMore
Louisiana towns of 2,500+ (162)Ahead of 52%
Few Louisiana towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Natchitoches’ 1% is ahead of 49% of Louisiana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 76% of them.
Water is 13% of Natchitoches’ area (4 of 27 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 1%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to C+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Fort Saint Jean Baptiste State Historic Site, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
All 7 parks & preserves
Fort Saint Jean Baptiste State Historic Site6 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · National Park Service
DirectionsMcCain Children's Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Highland Park8 acres
DirectionsLee Street Park7 acres
DirectionsPierson and Mallett Park6 acres
DirectionsNatchitoches City Park5 acres
DirectionsManning Memorial Park1 acres
Who protects it
132 conserved acres
1% of Natchitoches’ land. Water is left out: Natchitoches has 23.2 square miles of land and 3.6 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Natchitoches’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service198 ac
Town or city24 ac
State parks7 ac
Other or Unknown Local Government2 ac
Federal Other or Unknown · 198 acLocal Park · 18 acLocal Recreation Area · 8 acState Historic or Cultural Area · 7 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natchitoches National Fish Hatchery Federal Other or Unknown | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 198 | Restricted |
| Lee Street Park Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Highland Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Fort St Jean Baptist State Historic Site State Historic or Cultural Area | State parks | 7 | Open |
| Natchitoches City Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Sudbury Park Local Park | Other or Unknown Local Government | 2 | Open |
| Manning Memorial Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
7 places to go in Natchitoches
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Natchitoches
7 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
4 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
21Tennis
11Baseball
6Soccer
3Softball
2Football
1Tracks
1Beach volleyball
1Volleyball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →9 places on the National Register, one a National Historic Landmark
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 5 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Normal Hill Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1980
About itWomen's Gymnasium, Northwestern State UniversityBuilding · listed 1984
About itPresident's Home, Northwestern State UniversityBuilding · listed 1984
About itTexas and Pacific Railroad DepotBuilding · listed 1987
About itKeegan HouseBuilding · listed 1990
About itCaspiana Plantation StoreBuilding · listed 1992
About itNorthwestern State University Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2014
About itSouthern Cotton Oil MillDistrict · listed 2017
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Natchitoches: April and May
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.3 | 11.0 | 11.9 | 12.9 | 13.8 | 14.2 | 14.0 | 13.3 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.5 | 10.1 |
| High (°F) | 59 | 64 | 71 | 78 | 85 | 91 | 93 | 94 | 89 | 80 | 69 | 61 |
| Rain (in) | 5.5 | 5.0 | 5.3 | 5.4 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 5.0 | 5.4 |
August is the driest month (3.7 in) and the warmest (highs of 94 °F). 5.5 inches fall in January, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 94 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Natchitoches →
Questions about parks and trails in Natchitoches
Where can I hike in Natchitoches?
The longest trail networks: Fort Saint Jean Baptiste State Historic Site, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Natchitoches is conserved land?
1% of its land, against a typical 1% for a Louisiana town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Natchitoches’ trails?
Fort Saint Jean Baptiste State Historic Site and Highland Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Natchitoches?
9,934 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Natchitoches or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 44 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Natchitoches have?
Ahead of 29% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #78 of 162 in Louisiana. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Natchitoches neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →