D’Arbonne Adventures (2021) 

Bayou D’Arbonne forks off from the Ouachita River just north of West Monroe.  The bayou derives its name from one or several early French pioneers and traders with the surname "Derbanne."  This Derbanne family was closely associated with Louis Antoine Juchereau de St. Denis.  St. Denis (1676 – 1744) was a military leader and explorer of east Texas, north Louisiana and the Ouachita Valley.   

Bayou D’Arbonne was important for the early settlement and commerce of Ouachita and Union Parishes.  Steamboats operated on Bayou D’Arbonne in the 1800s transporting cotton and other products.  

My family lived for many decades in a home on a five-mile stretch of White’s Ferry Road (LA 143) that is south of Bayou D’Arbonne and north of Tupawek Bayou.  When I was a child and a teenager in the 50s and 60s, there was little residential development between White’s Ferry Road and Bayou D’Arbonne to the north, the Ouachita River to the east, and Tupawek Bayou to the south.  Occasional river flooding created ponds where cane pole fishing was excellent frequently in the springs and early summers.   

A boy could roam there for many hours and encounter absolutely no one.  My dog and I would hike that countryside taking different routes to the river and to Bayou D’Arbonne.  I drew rough maps of this terrain and created names for routes and points along the way.  There was Big Canyon Crossing, then Dead Hog Trail, and other such self-proclaimed landmarks on my map.  Walking those trails from about 4pm to sunset was a good way to clear my head from the occasional confusion of family and school life in my early teens.      

A few years later I’d use my father’s car and run crawfish traps along the banks of Bayou D’Arbonne.  Chicken wire that I used in making these traps lasted longer than the string traps commonly available then. These sturdier traps produced a good yield with less time and trouble involved.  I'd lay out the traps and come back in a day or two to harvest enough for a family feast of boiled crawfish or etouffee.    

The damming of Bayou D’Arbonne created Lake D’Arbonne near Farmerville in the 60s. By the early 70s, two college buddies and I were spending weekends on the lake learning better how to navigate a small sailboat.  We had purchased a slightly damaged sailboat from a Monroe MD for $300 and had repaired and painted it maroon and gold over one summer.  Pure terror resulted two or three times when sudden thunderstorms and large, white-capped waves pushed a couple of us manning the sailboat way too close to the Lake D’Arbonne spillway.  Having a wooden mast ripped from the sailboat by strong winds created a white-out sensation of fallen sails covering our vision and added to the chaos and panic on one occasion.   

By 1975, the Bayou D’Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge was established to the east of LA 143 where the bayou seems to get very confused about which direction that it wants to take.  This refuge and the Lake D’Arbonne State Park offer exciting alternatives for visitors to build their own special D’Arbonne adventures and memories.          

Lake D’Arbonne State Park provides more varied attractions than typical state parks.  Beyond outstanding fishing and boating potentials, a swimming pool and beaches, a tennis complex, an 18-hole disc golf course, and many deluxe lodges and cabins are available.  Hiking trails there include shorter ones, as well as the four-mile long White or Cypress Bend Trail that I like.   

On a trip to Lake D’Arbonne State Park in late April I observed how much work was still needed to clear trees, limbs and debris from storms during the last hurricane season and the unusually icy conditions earlier this year.  I’m sure that other state parks and refuges have been coping with similar work demands.  Restricted access to certain park and refuge features that are under repair can be a disappointment, so telephoning the headquarters office at our state parks and refuges in advance of a long drive is recommended. 

 

Bayou D’Arbonne National Wildlife Refuge surrounds about 13 miles of the bayou well to the east of the spillway and lake. Spring rains often cause the vast majority of the refuge to flood.  Cypress swamps, as well as bottomland hardwood and upland pine forests, are found within the refuge.  The diversity of terrain attracts different wildlife and bird species, from the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker to the Rafinesque's big-eared bat.  Bayou D'Arbonne NWR is managed as part of the North Louisiana Refuges Complex, which includes Black Bayou Lake NWR, Handy Brake NWR, Red River NWR, and Upper Ouachita NWR. 

For kayakers and canoers who want to observe or photograph wildlife and scenery in this general area, there are many options.  Two well-mapped and detailed paddling routes are described on the Louisiana Delta Adventures website,  http://www.louisianadeltaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/15-DArbonne-Country.pdf

The four-mile Corney Creek Trail starts at the boat ramp on LA 550 and proceeds to the north before turning back south to the boat ramp. A three-mile out-and-back paddling trail can be explored within Bayou D’Arbonne NWR starting from the boat ramp at Holland’s Bluff.  Checking in advance concerning entrance to this particular refuge is advised, since it has been temporally closed at times recently for maintenance and repairs. 

If Louisiana is a sportpersons’ paradise, Twin City residents are especially blessed by having many beautiful parks and refuges within a very short drive.