South Abutment East

South Abutment East sits upstream of Bayou Bodcau Dam. The small quiet campground is a Class B campground, and is open year-round to visitors. Bodcau is well off the main travel roads, so traffic and other noise issues are of no concern, while downtown Bossier City and Shreveport are only a 30 to 45 minute drive away and have many opportunities for other interests such as museums and restaurants. The recreation area has 12 campsites, all of which are primitive and contain a fire ring, grill, picnic table, lantern pole and trash can. All campsites are shaded, and feel like they are nestled within the forest; all are within walking distance of the water. Amenities include flush toilets, a potable water spigot, a boat ramp with a free life jacket loaner station, a disc golf course and a bike and hike trail. A mountain bike and hiking trail starts just across the street in Tom Merrill Recreation Area, looping back and forth for approximately 7 miles, and a playground and exercise area is within walking distance just outside the campground. Additionally, there is a large picnic shelter which can be rented out for special events. Boating, kayaking, canoeing and fishing are available on both sides of the dam, with gravel ramps for small boats; the bayou is home to black bass, spotted bass, crappie, catfish, buffalo, carp, gar, bowfin and various species of bream and sunfish. Hunting is available in the surrounding wildlife management areas during regular hunting season for squirrel, rabbit, dove, quail and other small game, deer, turkey and waterfowl, and bird watching is a common activity — great blue herons, several species of hawks and owls, and yellow, black-and-white, yellow-throated, magnolia, prairie and yellow-rumped warblers are regularly seen. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries operates a free 200-yard rifle range with covered rests, open to the public on regularly scheduled days under an approved Range Officer, and the .75-mile paved John Haygood Nature Trail runs near the Durden House Environmental Education Center, a historical site where rangers offer interpretive programs on history, cultural and natural resources, water safety and environmental education. Bayou Bodcau is 33,500 acres of public land, much of which consists of moss-laden cypress swamps, along with lowland and upland areas of mixed deciduous or pine forest. It is considered a dry reservoir, and only fills up during periods of high rainfall: the creek can be slow moving and almost stagnant during the dry summer, but a swift and deep torrent during the cooler winter. The area is home to a diverse group of natural areas and hosts some rare and endangered species, and alligators, beaver and more can be found amongst the forest and swamps. Cypress swamps, bottomland forests, Morse Clay calcareous prairies and more can be found within the project boundaries. Some of the largest trees in the state have been found and recorded here at multiple locations. Other nearby attractions include Tom Merrill Recreation Area, the Durden House, the rifle range, a horse camp and horse trails, ATV and UTV trails, and 500-acre Ivan Lake, a small but well-maintained lake known for fishing, boating and birding, where bald eagles can be spotted. Bossier City and Shreveport offer museums, a minor league hockey team, a large convention center, Barksdale Air Force Base with its small museum, and the Red River Wildlife Refuge.