There are two sections to camp in, the South and the North Landings. The South has 108 sites but be ware if you have a large rig this area is very tight and the sites are small, but it does have a swimming pool which could be important if you have kids. Now the North Landing has 100 sites and most are large. If you are using a satellite this is your best bet for reception. They are in the process of building a new bathhouse which should be ready by the spring of 2010. I would never consider staying in the South section. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
At first glance Chicot is a beautiful park but it is old and in need of a lot of updates and maintenance. The sites were built for small RVs where we were (South campground, loop D) and few pads had enough room to park a trailer of any size and a truck. Sites also didn't have much side space to park cars. Most were parked over ditches and in whatever blank space they could find. Our 31' RV had just a few feet left over but there was enough room to park a small car if need be. Also while we were here on the 4th, the power system failed numerous times around the noon hour. Please keep in mind that our temps were close to 100 degrees which is hot even for Louisiana. The bathrooms were very old and unfortunately very dirty. Old is one thing, dirty shouldn't be acceptable. Very hilly terrain so get in shape if you want to bike or hike around the park. Also very few animals/birds to look at.....too hot for them I guess. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Review Rating
[ 8 / 10 ]
May 2009
$16
We love staying in parks with lots of trees. We enjoy staying on the south side of the park due to the trees. The north is a little plain and flat for us. Yes the north is easier to get in but if you have been camping a while then the south is not hard to get in. We have a 37 ft fifth wheel and get in no trouble and satellite works in most sites. Love staying here. Needs a little updating and some power boxes are a little far for some power cords. We camped here in a Motorhome.
The park is nice but the bathrooms were very dirty. The pool also had scum marks along the side. The lake had water lily's all over it and it did not look inviting. We had a senior pass so the cost was $8. The cost for others would be $16. I am not sure that I would go back there. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We have camped here many times. The grounds are well kept, the sites are adequate though not what I would call generous. I have no problem getting my 28' TT on and off the sites, but the larger, 35'+ rigs need to do a couple pull-ups on some of the sites. There are two fishing piers, and two boat launches. I have launched my bay boat with no trouble. Hiking trails are nice. The only downside is that like most Louisiana State Parks there is no sewer service. The dump stations are handy though and well situated. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Chicot is a beautiful park, mixed pines and hardwood. When we arrived, the spot we had chosen from ReserveAmerica was extremely sloped, we could not level in it but a call to the office, and we were offered another spot. Stayed in the north side, it is older and they say it's not as nice as the south side, so bit of caution on reservations, many sites are not level and sloped. However, stayed away from the outside spots, go to the inside and they are very level. The north side is the quieter side if that is what you're looking for. Great lake, boating, fishing and trails. This is a very large park. We enjoyed our stay and plan to return. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We stayed in the South camping area. I was surprised by the work being done to update the sites. Our site had a new service pedestal with 20, 30 and 50 amp service and a night light. Some sites had new decks. There was a crew pulling electrical wires for an upcoming Wi-Fi installation. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Review Rating
[ 9 / 10 ]
April 2009
$16
This park was awesome! Out of all of the parks we have stayed, we enjoyed this one the most. Sites were large and shaded with BBQ pits,fire rings and picnic tables. Beautiful grounds on the Southside. The Northside not as desirable. The restrooms could use updating, but were clean. We have 4 kids and all of us really enjoyed it. The kids were begging to stay longer. We will be back as soon as possible! We camped here in a Tent Trailer.
Review Rating
[ 7 / 10 ]
March 2009
$18
This was a pretty nice park, overall. Lots of shade trees, playgrounds for the kids, wildlife, hiking/biking/equestrian trails, swimming pool, laundromat, showers and a huge lake to fish in, plus some of the finest cabins I have ever seen. The cons were the fact that so many of the slots were very, very unlevel. Ours, and those of the several friends who came along, were so bad that the front of our fifth-wheel was basically sitting on the ground! The slots are paved, as are the roads. Staff were friendly and welcoming. Unfortunately we were forced to cut short our stay here when someone ran over, and broke, a main water line that had been dug up to be repaired, thereby shutting off water to that entire side of the park. We would visit again. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Of all the LA State Parks, this has to be the worse. It is rundown; the sites are un-level and several are severely sloped. On week-ends the park is congested. Local families gather at campsites, 3 and 4 vehicles per site are parked everywhere (no overflow parking); in some cases 10-20 people per site, 65% of campers also have boats and trailers which are parked along the roadway making it difficult for large rigs to maneuver. Only one dumpsite per 100 sites, so the exodus on Sunday was time consuming. Campground was filthy after everyone left. Roads are not marked well in campground loop and the staff is not knowledgeable. Cycling is dangerous on roads throughout the park because of traffic and drivers don't adhere to speed limit. I would only stay here in the off-season during the week in an emergency, otherwise I don't plan to return, definitely avoid week-ends at all costs. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
One word...Ticks!!! The bug problem was horrible, we were eaten alive by ticks and chiggers!!! Most of the sites are unlevel and hard to get into. The lake is far from the campground and so is the pool, which had a line of people (mostly non-campers) waiting to get in. They only allow a certain number of people in the pool at a time. We will probably not camp here again. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We overnighted here on our way to New Orleans. The office staff were young, inexperienced, and not very knowledgeable. We stayed in the North Campground and it is 4 miles from the entrance. Ground around the campsites was trashy. As a previous reviewer stated you have to choose your site with care. Many are very sloped and short. Would probably not stay here again if we have another choice. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Camped in North Campground. Made reservations on Internet and luckily picked a site not on the perimeter. Most of the sites on the perimeter are very sloped. Some to the point of being unusable. The staff at office, which is several miles from the North Campground is not very knowledgeable about the sites, suitability for slides, etc. Website is best source for this information. We had a great time visiting the locals who came in great numbers during the weekends. We would stay here again but would choose our campsite with great care. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
We stayed here with another family member for the weekend of Thanksgiving. Very nice campground; we stayed in the South camping section and this was nicer that what we passed through on the north side. Down sides of this park is the restrooms are very old and need a lot of updating. In the womens' there were no locks on the stalls or in the shower stalls. In the men's there were only 1 large open shower with 2 shower heads. Not very nice at all. The only problem that we encountered was that there were kids from 2 other campsites that were having some type of bathroom wars with the toilet paper; and this over the weekend got out of hand. But in regards to that the rangers and the Campground host did address with the families of these kids. If you are looking for laundry facilities good luck, it was a holiday weekend and everything in the town was closed; there are no laundromats or anything in the town of Ville Platte and the only one in the campground was always occupied by people. There is only one in the ENTIRE campground and that is in the north side and we are talking miles away from where we were to get there. If you are traveling in a large home, I would ask the rangers what sites to use on the south side that don't have all the up and down hills that we had on the sites we stayed at. We did ride down to the cabins and there were just beautiful. But overall this was a good campground and we will be back. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Chicot is our home state park as we live only 15 miles away. The most beautiful cabins I've seen in any state park, they are more like luxurious vacation homes than cabins. Only draw back is be prepared to reserve a year or two ahead or it'll be tough to get a cabin. This park has a little of it all, great scenery and wildlife (dear, possum, racoons, armadillos). The campsites are set up well with BBQs, pits, mostly well shaded, and very varied types of sites to accomodate different taste. Excellent nature trails, biking, boating, and fishing. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Hard to find, harder to get into with 40 foot motorhome. Pleasant surprise when you do get in. We stopped overnight and campground nearly empty. After setting up, we enjoyed the many wildlife sharing the park with us. The bathhouse, while dated, was clean and well supplied. Rangers were friendly along with the receptionist. Much, much easier to exit. Just be aware that low, overhanging limbs and narrow roadways make the drive in challenging. The experience was worth the effort. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Beautiful campground, fun times. We did not use the pool (end of November), however did enjoy the playground, nature trails, and quiet, relaxing atmosphere. The campground doesn't offer many activities, however I would camp here again. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This park needs some work done to it. (I was told that there was a major renovation planed for late 06 into 07) We were with 3 other campers and traveled 3 hours to go. This was our 2nd time at the park. One of the sites we had had a steep drop off from the asphalt pad to a gravel base. It was a bad slipping hazard for any adult and we had children with us. The pool was a whole other problem. The pool was filled to capacity with people so we waited for the "overnight campers only" time at 4:30 and when we got to the pool there were still plenty of day use people in the pool along with many water-logged diapers & general trash under the lounge chairs inside the pool area and around the outside of the pool area. The deep end was closed and the staff was adding chemicals to the pool while we were in it. Needless to say we left really quick. The one thing that put it over the top for me was the lack of "proper" swimming attire. The rules stated what proper attire was- yet there were young women in the pool with white tank tops on and no undergarments..you can guess what that looked like-obscene. I called the state to complain. I was called back by the park manager about 3 days later and she basically told me my complaints were unfounded. So I gave her a good piece of my mind and told her she didn't have to worry about fixing anything for me cause it was not worth the 3 hour drive to go back. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This is an excellent state park. Fishing is always good. (North Side) Campground hosts are always helpful. Each site is well shaded with pits. During heavy rains there are some site that get flooded, park officals will let you changed site if possible. The playground is nice but on sand. Pool is on opposite side of campsite if your on north side, but the north side is leveled & paved. South side camping are very narrow & on steep paved sites. We never stay on south side for this reason. The park usually has some kind of educational activity going on. Off I49, exit 46. Dont forget anything Ville Platte is about 10 miles away. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
I was born and raised within 20 miles and even worked one summer during high school in the park. I have visited this park numerous times growing up and enjoyed it every time. But this trip will be the last. I arrived at the park at about 3 pm and waited in line until 5:30 before I was able to enter even though I had reservations because of the long line of campers to get in. There was only one person working the gates and 2 rangers patrolling the line. One ranger was courteous and understanding when people were complaining to him about the wait but the other ranger had the Barney Fife attitude. I was standing around talking to some other campers waiting in line when "Barney Fife" approached us. When I asked her what was the hold up she told me there was only one person working the gate. I asked her if she or the other ranger could help out with the gate she told me that if I open my mouth one more time I will be spending the night in jail. When I told her I didn't appreciate that she proceeded to give me my "last warning". I returned to my truck and didn't say another word. When I got to the gate I found that the Park Manager was working the gate. I complained to him about the ranger and he just laughed it off and told me not to worry about it. I will never return. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Review Rating
[ 7 / 10 ]
2004
$6
Large state park, roads are good, sites paved but all sites are not level. Some sites are way off level. Lot of nice trees and 2000 acres to walk around on. Very large lake in park, fishing should be good here. Play ground equipment close to RV sites. No noise in park. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Nice place to stay with beautiful trees covering sites. The old section A is the nicest with lake views. Police used to patrol a lot to keep things quiet. Lately golf carts have been allowed and less patrolling by police and it gets out of hand. Police had to be called out all three days to quiet the drunks driving carts with trailers and loud music, well into the middle of the night. Very irritating. If things do not change we do not recommend unless you go during the weekday it is quiet then. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
We loved our stay here. We went along with a few friends and had a great time. At the time the park was almost completely empty, so we were able to choose the perfect spots we wanted, which were right on the lake. There are tons of shade trees, swings for the kids, a laundromat and showers, which were very clean. There are also cabins for rent, and some good fishing, too! The Staff were very friendly, helpful and welcoming, which is very important, in our opinion. The only downside to this park is the fact that there were no sewer hookups, and we had to use the dump station, but that really wasn't a biggie. Otherwise, we would have given this park a perfect rating. We will definitely visit this park again. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This park is in the pines on the shores of a lake. There is a small beach and a boat ramp. The bathrooms were old and a little buggy, but there was hot water. The sites are paved with asphalt. Ours was a bit narrow but there were a lot of rigs much bigger than ours around, so they may vary in width. It does look like a popular party place, and we had to clean up our site (beer cans, cigarette butts, various detritus) before I felt comfortable sitting outside. It poured early the next morning and the amount of standing water indicated that it's really in a low-lying area, i.e., the dump station area was full of water. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Very nice park, in a country setting. Run by local parish government. Very full of locals on the weekends. Golf carts everywhere, but safe. Blacktop roads and paved sites. Nice distance between sites. Most are just water/electric, but there are a few sites that are not on the water that have full hookups. Multiple playgrounds. On a lake, with a boat launch. Great front office people. If you call by Wednesday on each week, you can reserve a site for the weekend. Pretty good ride from I49 on two lane highways. We have stayed here several times and we will stay here again. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Lock your vehicles and protect your things. Items were stolen out of my truck and my neighbor's truck, the same weekend some teens lit a picnic table on fire. Children racing around on golf carts. No security. Beware. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Review Rating
[ 7 / 10 ]
June 2008
$14
Nice little park. Inexpensive. Clean and neat. Nice helpful staff. RV sites were shaded and offered 30 and 50amp. They offer full hook ups including sewer on certain sites. Some gravel some paved. We had a paved site and it was nice and level. Cons- Far from the highway and roads leading to it are a bit tight. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
The rv sites do not have sewer hookup even though there is a dump site. The bath houses were not clean. The park offers primitive camping and rv sites. There is a boat dock for the lake. The lake water was muddy and had a lot of grass in it. We camped here in a Motorhome.