Lake Bruin State Park Beach
St. Joseph, LA
Lake Bruin State Park's beach sits on an oxbow lake near St. Joseph in the Tensas River basin, a roped off swimming area with a bathhouse a short walk from most campsites. The lake runs nearly twelve miles long but only about half a mile wide, so it stays calmer than a big reservoir. It's a straightforward, well kept small town beach, not a destination in its own right.
A clean, reliable small lake beach for area families and campers, but there's nothing about it that would draw anyone from outside the immediate area.
How we score beachesSome campsites sit close enough to swim directly from your site instead of walking to the main beach, worth requesting if that matters to you when booking.
Parking is inside the park near the campground and day use area, with a per person entry fee collected at the gate.
A short, flat walk from the nearby parking and bathhouse to the roped off swimming area, easy going the whole way.
Louisiana State Parks policy keeps dogs off designated swimming beaches even on leash, though leashed pets are welcome elsewhere in the park.
Northeast Louisiana sees real winters compared to the coast, so the swimming season here runs roughly Memorial Day through Labor Day. Summer humidity runs high, typical of the Mississippi Delta region the lake sits in.
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