Sam Houston Jones State Park

Sam Houston Jones State Park

Map of Louisiana, United States of America
Location	Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, United States of America
Coordinates	30°18′07″N 93°15′31″W / 30.302076°N 93.258605°W / 30.302076; -93.258605Coordinates: 30°18′07″N 93°15′31″W / 30.302076°N 93.258605°W / 30.302076; -93.258605^[1]
Area	approx. 1,087 acres (4.40 km²; 1.698 sq mi) ^[1]
Established	1944 (1944)^[2]
Governing body	Louisiana Office of State Parks
http://www.crt.state.la.us/parks/iShjones.aspx

Sam Houston Jones State Park is a park near the city of Lake Charles, Calcasieu Parish, in southwestern Louisiana (USA) located at the confluence of the Houston and Calcasieu Rivers and Indian Bayou. It consists of 1,087 acres (440 ha) of woodlands, lakes and rivers. Prominent in the park are many bald cypress trees. Tree-filled lagoons and a mixed pine and hardwood forest combine to create a unique natural environment. The area hosts an abundance of wildlife, including deer, squirrels, bobcats, rabbits, alligators, otters, nutria rats, raccoons, foxes, and diverse birdlife. The park also has a herd of deer kept in a special area of the park. Ducks and geese are usually found swimming in the ponds.

Originally named for Sam Houston, the Texas folk hero who traveled extensively in the western reaches of Louisiana, its current name is in honor of former Louisiana governor Sam Houston Jones, who was instrumental in setting aside this tract of land for the public to enjoy.^[1] Facilities include campsites, cabins, a boat launch, rental boats, a scenic picnic area with pavilions, a playground and restrooms.

The site is located in the Central Migratory Flyway and just north of the most productive birding region in Louisiana. In the spring and fall, migratory patterns bring nearly 200 bird species within 30 miles (50 km) of the park site.^[1]

The numerous waterways in this area make water sports a natural highlight at the park. Two boat launches are conveniently located on the West Fork of the Calcasieu River, providing access to the Gulf of Mexico, only a few miles away. Rental boats are available those who simply wish to take in the serene beauty of the park's ponds or for fishing.

The three hiking trails winding through this beautiful park make strolling or serious hiking, pleasurable. Hikers may visit the old stagecoach road to explore the park and the banks of the various tributaries to the Calcasieu River.

Hours of Operation are 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday through Thursday. All park sites close at 10 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and days preceding holidays.

References

1 2 3 4 "Sam Houston State Park - Louisiana Office of State Parks". Retrieved 30 January 2011.
↑ 2009 Wall Calendar - 75 Years of Celebrating Louisiana's Treasures and Making Memories. Louisiana State Parks. 2009.

External links

Sam Houston State Park - Louisiana Office of State Parks

Protected areas of Louisiana

Federal

National Historical Parks	Cane River Creole Jean Lafitte NHP and Preserve New Orleans Jazz

National Monuments	Poverty Point

National Marine Sanctuary	Flower Garden Banks

National Forests	Kisatchie

National Wildlife Refuge System	Atchafalaya Bayou Cocodrie Bayou Sauvage Bayou Teche Big Branch Marsh Black Bayou Lake Bogue Chitto Breton Cameron Prairie Cat Island Catahoula D'Arbonne Delta East Cove Grand Cote Handy Brake Lacassine Lake Ophelia Mandalay Red River Shell Keys Sabine Tensas River Upper Ouachita

State

State Parks	Bayou Segnette Bogue Chitto Chemin-A-Haut Chicot Cypremort Point Fairview-Riverside Fontainebleau Grand Isle Hodges Gardens Jimmie Davis Lake Bistineau Lake Bruin Lake Claiborne Lake D-Arbonne Lake Fausse Pointe North Toledo Bend Palmetto Island Poverty Point Reservoir St. Bernard Sam Houston Jones South Toledo Bend Tickfaw

State Historic Sites	Audubon Centenary Fort Jesup Fort Pike Fort St. Jean Baptiste Forts Randolph & Buhlow Locust Grove Longfellow-Evangeline Los Adaes Mansfield Marksville Plaquemine Lock Port Hudson Poverty Point Rebel State Rosedown Plantation Winter Quarters

State Preservation Area	Louisiana State Arboretum

State Forests	Alexander Indian Creek

State Wildlife Refuges	Elmer's Island Marsh Island Rockefeller St. Tammany State Terrebonne Barrier Islands White Lake Wetlands

Wildlife management areas	Acadiana Conservation Corridor Atchafalaya Delta Attakapas Barataria Preserve Bayou Macon Bayou Pierre Ben's Creek Big Colewa Bayou Big Lake Biloxi Bodcau Boeuf Bonnet Carré Spillway Buckhorn Camp Beauregard Catahoula Lake Clear Creek Dewey Wills Elbow Slough Elm Hall Floy Ward McElroy Fort Polk Grassy Lake Hutchinson Creek Indian Bayou Jackson Bienville Joyce Lake Boeuf Lake Ramsey Savannah Little River Loggy Bayou Manchac Marsh Bayou Maurepas Swamp Old River Control Ouachita Pass A Loutre Pearl River Peason Ridge Pointe-aux-Chenes Pomme de Terre Red River Russell Sage Sabine Island Sabine Salvador/Timken Sandy Hollow Sherburne Sicily Island Hills Soda Lake Spring Bayou Tangipahoa Parish School Board Thistlethwaite Three Rivers Tunica Hills Union Walnut Hill West Bay

Other

Private	Bird City Paul J. Rainey Wildlife Sanctuary

City	Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center

Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism (web)
Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry (web)
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (web)

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