North Toledo Bend State Park

Toledo Bend Reservoir was built in 1966 as a joint Louisiana-Texas water project on the Sabine River. The lake now covers 185,000 acres — the fifth largest man-made body of water in the United States by surface area — and this 900-acre park occupies its northern shore in Sabine Parish, west of Zwolle.

The reservoir is consistently rated among the top bass fishing lakes in the country. The park maintains a boat launch where paddleboats and canoes may be rented. A fish cleaning station stands on site. Ten cabins and 67 campsites accommodate overnight visitors.

Two trails share the same tread: Trail A runs 1.5 miles, Trail B runs 4 miles. Hikers and mountain bikers use both. A visitor center complex houses a large meeting room and an Olympic-size swimming pool. A group camp operates five dormitories that sleep 50 people each in bunk beds, with a cafeteria-style kitchen, an industrial-size oven and refrigerator, and a fishing pier. Entrance fees are $3 per person.

This is what happens when you dam a river on the Louisiana-Texas line: you create a fishery, then you build around it. Toledo Bend endures because the bass keep coming and the people who chase them need a place to clean their catch and sleep. The trails came later. The park stands at the end of LA-3229, off LA-191 near Zwolle — worth the drive if you want to see what a reservoir this size looks like from the shore, or if you need a pier to cast from and a bunk to collapse into after.