There is a moment, about twenty minutes into paddling across Cross Lake, when the skyline of Shreveport fades behind a curtain of cypress trees draped in Spanish moss, and the only sounds you can hear are the splash of your paddle and the lazy call of a great blue heron overhead. That moment is worth every bit of the drive to get there.
Cross Lake sits just northwest of downtown Shreveport, tucked between quiet residential neighborhoods and stretches of undeveloped shoreline that feel genuinely wild. The lake covers roughly 8,400 acres, making it one of the largest bodies of water in Northwest Louisiana, and it serves as the primary drinking water reservoir for the city. But don’t let the utilitarian description fool you — this is a place of real beauty, and locals who know it treat it like a private treasure.
The best way to experience Cross Lake is by kayak or canoe. Several outfitters in the Shreveport-Bossier area rent sit-on-top kayaks that are easy to handle even if you haven’t paddled since summer camp. Launch points along the western and southern shores give you immediate access to shallow coves where largemouth bass lurk under submerged timber, and where wood ducks dart between the stands of bald cypress that line the banks. If you go in the early morning — and you really should go in the early morning — the mist hangs low over the water and the light turns everything golden. It is the kind of scene that makes you reach for your phone just to realize no photograph will ever quite capture it.
Fishing is enormously popular here. Cross Lake has a well-earned reputation among serious anglers for producing impressive catches of bass, crappie, catfish, and bream. Weekend mornings bring out the fishing boats, but the coves and shallower inlets remain peacefully accessible to paddlers who want to stay out of the main channel. If you are not an angler, no matter — watching someone haul in a fat largemouth bass while you drift past is entertainment enough.
The lake is also a legitimate birding destination. White pelicans winter here in surprising numbers, and the cypress swamps along the northern shore shelter nesting colonies of egrets and herons during the warmer months. Bring binoculars. You will not regret it.
Surrounding the lake, the Cross Lake Scenic Drive offers a pleasant alternative for those who prefer their nature from the window of a car. The road winds along the southern shoreline past charming lakeside cottages, fishing piers, and the occasional osprey perched on a weathered post. It is an easy, unhurried loop that rewards slow driving and spontaneous stops.
Pack a cooler, bring sunscreen, and give yourself a full morning. Cross Lake is the kind of place that reminds you exactly why people choose to live in Louisiana — and exactly why you should visit.
