Bogue Chitto NWR riverbank primitive camping (Pools Bluff boat ramp access)

public land records

Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.

Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Southeast Louisiana Refuges Complex). DISPERSED, NOT A CAMPGROUND -- the refuge camping page (https://www.fws.gov/refuge/bogue-chitto/visit-us/activities/camping, read 2026-09-28) says: 'Primitive camping is permitted within 100 feet of either bank of the Bogue Chitto River, Wilson Slough, West Pearl River south of Wilson Slough, and refuge lands along the East Pearl River and Holmes Bayou. No campsite can be left unattended longer than 24 hours or used longer than 14 consecutive days. Campers must mark their campsite with the owner's State license/sportsman's identification number, and dates of occupancy in a conspicuous location at the front of the tents.' FLOOD CLOSURE: 'The refuge will be closed to camping when the Pearl River reaches 15.5 feet on the gauge at Pearl River.' (also 50 CFR 32.37(g)(2)(v)). The Southeast Louisiana Refuges 2026-2027 regulations brochure (https://www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2026-09/se-la-hunt-regs-2026_web508-2_0.pdf) states 'Camping is only allowed on Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge' among the complex's refuges, allows camp fires, prohibits houseboats except for navigation, and says 'Access to the refuge is primarily by boat.' No camping fee is stated anywhere. THE PIN IS AN ACCESS POINT, NOT A CAMPSITE: it is the refuge's 'Pools Bluff Boat Ramp' from the FWS public facility layer (https://services.arcgis.com/QVENGdaPbd4LUkLV/arcgis/rest/services/FWS_HQ_Fac_Property_Pt_PublicView/FeatureServer/0, OBJECTID 19009, Public_Use 'Public Use', queried 2026-09-28). Other Louisiana-side refuge ramps in the same layer: Lock No. 1 (N and S), Lock No. 2, Lock No. 3. Which river this ramp is on is not stated in the FWS record and is not claimed here. No drinking water is stated for this site by LDWF. Treat all natural water as non-potable. This is a hunting refuge; check the brochure for seasons. Nearest town: Sun ~4.6 mi -- STRAIGHT-LINE distance to the nearest OpenStreetMap place=city/town/village (snapshot 2026-08-15), NOT a driving distance. Ingest 2026-09-28. | nightshift-verified 2026-09-29 (fire 2820): RE-CHECKED. https://www.fws.gov/refuge/bogue-chitto/visit-us/activities/camping re-fetched (HTTP 200) and still carries all four quoted sentences word for word (100-ft riverbank rule, 24-h/14-day limits, campsite marking, 15.5-ft Pearl River closure). The 2026-2027 SE Louisiana refuges brochure (https://www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2026-09/se-la-hunt-regs-2026_web508-2_0.pdf, re-fetched) still says 'Camping is only allowed on Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge', 'Camp fires allowed', houseboats prohibited except for navigation, and 'Access to the refuge is primarily by boat'. FWS facility layer re-queried: OBJECTID 19009 is still 'Pools Bluff Boat Ramp', Bogue Chitto NWR, StateAbbr LA, Status Valid, Public_Use 'Public Use', at exactly this coordinate (30.703638, -89.848002). Nearest published/approved camp 4.2 km ('Old River WMA camp site 2'); none within 2 km, so not a duplicate. No fee stated by FWS; dispersed, undeveloped, no access pass -> free under the site rule. The pin remains an ACCESS POINT, not a campsite, as the note says. DECISION: APPROVED -- agency page, agency brochure and agency point all agree today.

On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.