FAQs About Caddo Lake Cabins on Caddo Lake

A: Caddo Lake, the only natural lake in Texas, is located on the Texas-Louisiana border, about 3 hours east of Dallas-Ft. Worth, and about 30 minutes west of Shreveport, La.

A: Relax for starters. It’s a great place for that. Quiet, beautiful, and very relaxing. Bring a book (or your favorite e-reader), sit on the porch and read…or just enjoy the quiet. However, for those who can’t sit still, there are other things to do.
– —Fishing, or boating–you can rent a jon boat at Johnson’s Ranch Marina (in Uncertain), fish from the pier at the State Park, or the covered pier at Johnson’s Ranch.
—Take a lake tour from one of the local tour guides– Caddo Outback (our personal favorite) or any one of the others. It’s the best way to see the lake. You might even see an alligator at certain times of the year.
—Take a canoe (or kayak) trip on one (or more) of the Texas Park and Wildlife Paddling Trails, using the canoes and kayaks we provide. While we do provide paddles and a variety of sizes in life jackets, we DO NOT provide infant or small child-size life vests, so bring your own.
—Drive over to Jefferson, a wonderfully historic little town with things to do. Ride the train, take a ghost walk, or shop the antique stores. Drive through the Lonesome Dove Safari Park, where the wildlife is all around you.  
—Visit the Gators and Friends alligator park, about 25 miles away, toward Shreveport. See alligators year-round. Try the Zip Line over the alligators!
—Take a trail ride, on horseback, at Karma Farms, located between Jefferson and Marshall (see their website on our Links page), or the horseback riding stable in Karnack, on Fason Street near the school.
—Gather up your spare change and drive over to Shreveport/Bossier and the ‘boats’ (casinos) for the evening…it’s about a 45 minute drive.
—Take a walk. You can walk through the town of Uncertain (about a mile and a half, end to end), or go over to the Caddo Lake State Park and take their mile-long nature trail. On weekends, they often have programs for kids, too. And, the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge has miles and miles of paved roads for walking or running, with little or no traffic.
—Use the bikes we provide guests (coaster bikes, nothing fancy) and take a leisurely bike ride through Uncertain; they’re kept at the Slough View Cabin. Or, bring your own and take them out to the Wildlife Refuge to ride. Miles of paved (shady) roads!
—Visit the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Karnack. Great for birding, hiking, or nature walks, in a setting where, only a few decades ago, bombs were produced at the Longhorn Ammunition Plant.
—Visit the Caddo Lake State Park, walk the trails there or fish from the dock.

A: Unfortunately, there’s not a good swimming place near Uncertain.
Caddo has a mud bottom, and is very shallow many places. To swim, you need a boat, as the best places are on the Big Cypress Bayou and out in Big Lake. Alternatively, Lake O’ the Pines is about 30 minutes away, and there are several nice swimming beaches there.

A: Yes, there are alligators. You rarely see them, because they see you first and hide or leave the area. The best way to see one is to take a tour with someone like Caddo Outback Tours.

A: If you aren’t familiar with the lake, you do need a map. If you are in a boat, canoe or kayak, it’s not advisable to be on the lake after dark , unless you are familiar with Caddo. However, while you can get turned around among the cypress trees and sloughs, the use of GPS and cell phones have made getting lost harder and harder. If you just follow the boat road markers, you can’t go wrong. It’s very important to stay in the marked boat roads.

May we use the boathouse? Is there a launch nearby?
A: Sure. Keep in mind that Caddo is mostly a shallow lake, so a large, deep-V hull may not be a good idea, especially in low water times. However, there is deep water on the Big Cypress Bayou and there are those who have large boats here. For guests of the Cypress View, there is a boathouse with power but it’s very shallow. There is room to tie up outside the boathouse, on the dock, as well. The closest launch to the Cypress View is at the Shady Glade Marina, about a half-mile from the Cypress View, and they charge $3 for a launch. Heart’s Cottage is right on Big Cypress Bayou, so larger boats have consistent access to the Cottage by tying up at the pier there. The closest launch to Heart’s Cottage is either at the Caddo Lake State Park (pay Park fee), or the Hwy 43 Bridge (free launch).

Do they have pontoon boats?
A: Johnson’s Ranch has small flat-bottom boats for rent. No one rents pontoons around Uncertain at this time.

A. The kayaks, canoes, and bikes are all reserved for use by the guests staying at the Slough View, Caddo Cabin, and Cypress View Cabins. There is no charge for their use, but we do require those who do use them to return them to their storage areas afterwards, and wear life jackets (on the water craft, not the bikes!). There are NO small-child or infant life jackets; if you have a small child or infant, bring their life jacket.
We don’t provide watercraft to Heart’s Cottage, as it’s on a busy stretch of Big Cypress Bayou, and may not be safe for an inexperienced kayaker or canoer during high-traffic times.

A. Yes, all our cabins have both.

A. Yes, it’s a city water supply. It may not taste the same as yours does at home, and at times it can have a reddish hue, but it meets all state standards for safe drinking water.

A. Just yourselves, food (there’s no grocery store, except for small convenience stores and a Family Dollar, within 20 miles), personal items, and charcoal for the grill.
We provide everything else.

Is there a Walmart nearby?
A.There is a  small convenience store in Uncertain, the Caddo Outpost, for staples; Family Dollar is 5 miles away, in Karnack, for a wider variety. The nearest large grocery store is in Marshall, about 20 minutes away. There is a Kroger, a Walmart, a Super 1, and a Brookshire’s there.
There is also a small Brookshire’s in Jefferson, and a Walmart in Atlanta, Tx (about 30 miles north).

A. There are places to eat in Uncertain, but days and hours are variable. Caddo Outpost (small store at the corner of 2198 and Cypress Drive) has breakfast sandwiches, lunches and BBQ “brown cows”;  Big Pines Lodge (dinner) and Shady Glade (breakfast and lunch) are open Friday-Sunday. The local bar, the Lighthouse, has take-out if you don't want to eat dinner in a real bar.  However, some close on Monday and Tuesday around Uncertain, so you’ll need to call to see if a place is open, go to Jefferson or Marshall on those days, or grab a sandwich in the cabin.