Red River Waterway Commission Announces New Twelve Mile Bayou Boat Ramp

Outdoors enthusiasts all over Northwest Louisiana are about to get a new treat.

Get our free mobile app

According to the social media post we saw from the Red River Waterway Commission and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, we're about to get a new access point into Twelve Mile Bayou and Red River via a new boat launch.

In their post RRWC invites the public to the ribbon cutting and grand opening of the new Twelve Mile Bayou Boat Ramp and Access Road on the John Franks Wildlife Management Area north of Shreveport this coming Friday, December 19th at 11:00 AM.

Motorists on I-49 have likely spotted this new boat launch during construction as it's located on Twelve Mile Bayou right where I-49 crosses it 6 miles downstream of the Caddo Lake Dam and 14 miles upstream of the mouth of the Red River in downtown Shreveport.

Access To The New 12 Mile Bayou Boat Launch Is From Highway 71

Though the boat ramp can be seen from I-49, it can only be accessed from Hwy 71. Vehicular access to the boat ramp is via a new asphalt road from the west side of Hwy 71, 4.5 miles north of the split of Hwy 71 and Hwy 1.

And for those unaware of North Louisiana's newest wildlife management area that accommodates this launch, the John Franks Wildlife Management Area is a 3,664 acre wildlife habitat property owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and operated by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Red River Waterway Commission. The boat ramp and access road were constructed by Synergen Construction of Bossier City.