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Drone Rules for Kisatchie National Forest
Rapides Parish, Louisiana (LA)
• United States
Kisatchie National Forest, Louisiana 71433, USA
Lat: 30.9988 • Lng: -92.6238
Ground
Not fully verified
Last updated: May 30, 2026
Summary
USFS Kisatchie NF contains the Kisatchie Hills Wilderness and is the only national forest in Louisiana. The sandstone hills and longleaf restoration zones require UAS sensitivity.
Drone Rules - Kisatchie NF, Louisiana
Kisatchie Hills Wilderness (8,700 acres) prohibits drones as motorized equipment under the Wilderness Act.
Airspace / Site Context
- Louisiana's only national forest spans 604,000 acres across five ranger districts
- Kisatchie Hills Wilderness features sandstone mesas unique in the Gulf Coastal Plain -- very popular photography destination
- Alexandria International (AEX) Class C airspace is ~15 NM east of Kisatchie Falls trailhead; check LAANC before flying
Key Rules
- Wilderness boundary at Kisatchie Falls is only 0.25 miles from the main trailhead -- easy to inadvertently cross
- Red-cockaded woodpecker colonies are present; observe 200 ft buffer from white-banded trees
- USFS Special Use Permit required for commercial operations outside Wilderness
Source
- USFS Kisatchie: https://www.fs.usda.gov/kisatchie