The smaller swimming area at Cotile Lake Recreation Area is one of two swimming areas with sandy beaches, each bordered by orange bouys. The larger swimming area is located hear the boat launch.
"Richard + Sherry."
Do people still declare their love by carving their names in wooden benches overlooking lakes? In this case, Cotile Lake.
Well, Richard and Sherry did at one time. Whether they're still in love isn't so much relevant as the fact that the Cotile Lake Recreation Area is a part of their history.
Cotile Lake Recreation Area is a popular, rustic park among travelers and picnickers. It seems to have been a special place at one point for a couple named Richard and Sherry, who declared their love by carving their names in the park's open pavilion overlooking the lake.
Thousands of other visitors can make this claim, too — who have stopped by the park to swim, picnic, fish and camp since it opened on the shores of the man-made lake in 1965.
"They're still coming," park director Lauren Baron said. "They come from all over. We've even had some campers from Alaska. A lot of them are passing through, and they're looking up campgrounds, and they see that we're nearby, so they drive back here and find us."
Baron is right. There are no Broadway lights billboards pointing the way to the park. Finding it is a quest, and once you arrive — don't expect anything fancy.
A quick glance at Cotile Lake from the shores of Cotile Lake Recreation Area near Boyce, La., on a sunny, Louisiana August afternoon. Staff video by Robin Miller
Then again, Cotile Lake Recreation Area's rustic setting also is its charm.
It is the out-of-the-way kind of place that so many people are seeking. Its pine tree-shaded grounds overlook a 1,775-acre lake that reflects the overhead blue from the sky.
Best of all, it's quiet. Anyone picnicking for the day, camping for the weekend or staying in one of the homes around the edge of the lake can escape the world's worries, because the world would have to make a special effort to come here.
Maybe that's why Richard and Sherry fell in love here. The names are carved on a bench in the open pavilion standing on a hill above the lake. It's one of three pavilions the park rents out for gatherings. The other two are enclosed with one equipped with a fireplace and small fireplace.
Speaking of gatherings, Cotile Lake Recreation Area will stage its own in October with its annual Halloween Bash.
"We'll have a costume contest, a trailer decorating contest, a DJ, a food truck and trick-or-treating," Baron said. "It's very popular. We always get a lot of kids out here, and most of our camping spots are booked up for it."
A wooden and bricked stairway leads from an Airbnb to a pier along the shore of Cotile Lake. Airbnbs are available for rent in the area.
Still, not all is perfect at the lake.
Hurricane Laura pounded the park in 2021, and Hurricane Delta dusted up what was left. Some 400 trees came down throughout the 85-acre park, knocking two of the three campground restrooms out of commission.
Cotile Lake stretches for 1,775 acres outside of Boyce, about 20 miles northeast of Alexandria.
Yet, the Richards and Sherrys kept coming, many of them pulling recreational vehicles equipped with restrooms. The park is equipped with electrical and water hookups with some camping spots offering hookups for sewer. Primitive camping also is available for campers who like roughing it.
"We have 64 camping sites, and about eight sites with sewer hookups, so they're our most popular camping spots," Baron said. "You can primitive camp by tent anywhere you want. You can even set up by the water."
Looking out at Cotile Lake from the edge of the pier near Cotile Lake Recreation Area's boat ramp. The 85-acre park offers camping, boating, picnicking, playgrounds and swimming.
Visitors sometimes vary in their opinions on the park.
"We have people from out of town. They'll come out there and they'll say, 'Man, this place is so pretty, so beautiful. It's so peaceful and quiet, and this is our kind of place,'" Baron said. "Then you get these other people that say, 'When are y'all going to fix the bathrooms? When are y'all gonna do this?'"
But Cotile Lake Recreation Area will soon receive a federal grant, along with funding allocated by the state legislature.
"We're just waiting for everything to be signed," Baron said. "The first thing I'm going to do is fix the two bathrooms. I'm also going to start fixing some of our camping sites. We're in dire need of improvements, and some of our sites are washing away."
A concrete stairway connects the open pavilion to the shoreline at Cotile Lake Recreation Area near Boyce. Visitors can walk a trail along the shoreline, where they can picnic or set up tents for primitive camping.
Both Cotile Lake and its recreation area are owned by the Rapides Parish Police Jury. The lake was created in October 1965 with the impoundment of Bayou Jean de Jean by way of a 31-foot-tall earthen dam. A concrete spillway was added in 1988.
"The lake was built for use by the farmers in Rapides Parish to irrigate their crops," Baron said. "So, like right now, since we haven't had any rain in days and days, we have gates that we open to let the water into the bayou. And if you go down the road, you'll see all these tractors backed up to it, pumping the water to their fields across the road."
The lake also is drained every seven years for a cleanup, but most times it is filled with fish stocked by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. The most popular catches are bass and perch.
A different viewpoint of Cotile Lake's 1,775 acres from an Airbnb across the lake. Vacation rentals are plentiful in the area.
Fishermen back their boats into the lake on the park's wide boat ramp, people swim in the park's two swimming areas fronted by sandy beaches and hold picnics on concrete tables throughout the area.
For those not interested in camping or day-tripping, the opposite side of Cotile Lake is saddled with residential homes, some of them serving as Airbnb rentals. There are a variety to choose from at airbnb.com/s/Boyce--LA/homes.
Cotile Lake is located about 20 miles northeast of Alexandria outside of Boyce. Travelers driving either north or south on U.S. 49 can take the Boyce exit, then turn on La. 1200, which twists and turns its way to the park.
Cotile Lake Recreation Area's entry way. All visitors are required to stop and pay for either camping or day use.
It's probably best to use your GPS at this point.
"You'd be surprised at how many people are just traveling down the road, and they just look us up on their phones," Baron said. "I don't know how they find it. They just find it, and they'll say, 'We just came off the road. We're traveling to ... .' They just come in from all over. They might stay one night or they might stay three nights. Those are the ones that love it, so, I take the compliment."
Camping is $25 for a regular spot and $30 for spots with sewer hookups. Campers age 60 and older are given a $5 discount.
Primitive camping is $9, and day-use fees for boaters and picnickers is $5.
The park usually is filled to capacity on Memorial Day and July 4 weekends, with lots of swimmers splashing in the water, but Baron warns to keep an eye out for alligators.
For travelers who don't want to camp, there are Airbnbs across the lake to rent. This is a view from one of the vacation rentals.
"We have a lot of alligators — and every once in a while, we get one that likes to swim over to the swimming area," she said. "We have to call a guy, who comes and gets it."
Even the threat of gators doesn't deter fans of this area. It certainly didn't discourage Richard and Sherry — maybe they're still going there.