La Salle Parish Highpoint Trip Report

Date: June 17, 2008
Author: Bill Schuler

two areas on Holum quadrangle, Sections 24/25 (320+ ft)

one area on Nickel quadrangle, Sections 13/14 (320+ ft)

reference: DeLorme Atlas page 24 grid coordinates H1

These points can and should be climbed in conjunction with the two points needed for Catahoula Parish. I drove North from Alexandria, LA on US165 to the intersection with LA124 in Olla. Zero your odometer here. I will describe the route to the southern point(s) first and continue to the northern points.

0.0 - US165 and LA124 in Olla. Go east on LA124.

13.0 - Junction with LA126. Turn right (south) on LA126.
15.7 - Dirt road on left. Turn left (east).
There was an orange gate open at the start.
16.7 - Dirt road on the left. Turn left.
16.9 - High point in the road. Park. You are at La Salle Parish area #1.
The high point seems to be right on the road.

To continue to the Catahoula Parish area #1, go straight ahead 1.0 mile, go left at a Y, go 0.3 mile, turn left, go 0.7 mile and park. The high point is up to your right. Turn around and retrace your route to the La Salle high point and add 4 miles to the following mileages.

16.9 - Go back the way you came.
17.0 - Dirt road. Turn right.
18.1 - LA126, Turn right (north).
20.8 - Junction with LA124, go straight (northeast) on LA124/LA126.
21.2 - Junction with LA124 and LA126. There's a church and cemetery
on the corner, all that is left of Rosefield. Not even a sign for the town.
Turning right on LA124 takes you east to Enterprise in 6 miles
but you continue straight ahead on LA126 (north-northwest).
22.2 - Dirt road on the right. Turn right (east).
22.3 - Orange gate, locked, park here.

This is the property line for the Bayou Dan Hunting Club Association. They allow members only (normally). I was able to find an Association Director yesterday in Jena, LA and convinced him that he needed to let me hike to the three high points in the preserve. He was emphatic that he should remain anonymous, that this would be a one-time deal and that hordes of others would not be welcome. I think that the fact that I was from California along with the luck that there was no one scheduled to be there for the next couple of days may have convinced (softened) him to allow me in.

With permission (phone number on the No Trespassing sign is 318-992-2181) and from the orange gate, hike the road about 0.8 mile to La Salle Parish area #2. Continue north to a dirt track on the right. Go right a short distance to the La Salle Parish high point area #3 on the main ridgeline in about 0.3 mile. These points aren't obvious and I used the GPS to verify their location.

If you are going to the other Catahoula Parish point, continue south-southeast along the ridge and over a couple of bumps to the Catahoula Parish area #2. Again, I needed GPS to find it. This wasn't an easy bushwhack so I looked around for an alternate way down. You can return the way you came but I dropped west into Funny Louis Creek, climbed northwest up to the ridgeline containing my entering road near the La Salle Parish point #2, (another nasty bushwhack) but shorter, then continued out to my vehicle. Reversing this loop is also feasible.