Poverty Point Reservoir State Park, Recreation area with 2,700-acre reservoir in Richland Parish, United States

Poverty Point Reservoir State Park is a recreation area in Richland Parish, Louisiana, built around a large reservoir that offers boat launches, a marina with covered slips, and a swimming beach near the town of Delhi. The water sits at the center of the park, surrounded by flat lowland and wetland edges that frame the whole site.

The park opened in 2005 and takes its name from a nearby Native American site that was occupied between 1400 and 700 BC. The reservoir was created by damming Bayou Macon, forming a body of water that did not exist before in this part of Louisiana.

The park sits along the Mississippi Flyway, one of the main migratory bird corridors in North America, where cormorants, bald eagles, ducks, geese, and pelicans rest and move through depending on the season. Birdwatchers can spot different species along the shore and over the water throughout the year.

The park has eight deluxe cabins, four standard cabins and fifty-four campsites, so book ahead in warmer months. A 48-slip marina, boat launch and fish cleaning station serve anglers. The 0.5-mile walking trail near Bayou Macon passes through black bear country; read posted safety notices before setting out.

Although the park shares its name with a nearby prehistoric site, the actual Poverty Point World Heritage Site is several miles away and is an entirely separate place with its own facilities. Visitors interested in the archaeology should plan to visit both locations separately, as they have no shared entrance or grounds.