ROAD SORTIES Scenic Roads

Boom or Bust Byway

Boom or Bust Byway is a National Scenic Byway in Louisiana. Within Louisiana it covers roughly 140 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Boom or Bust Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.

Boom or Bust Byway runs 136 miles across four northwest Louisiana parishes: Caddo, Bossier, Webster, and Claiborne. It's a National Scenic Byway built around the region's boom-and-bust economic history in oil, gas, lumber, transportation, and farming. Gilliam hosts the Sunflower Trail and Festival each June, when fields of blooms line Highway 3049 toward Shreveport. Mooringsport's Longwood General Store still serves steaks and Southern classics from a century-old building, while Plain Dealing's Big Dup's Cajun Kitchen turns out boudin, hot water cornbread, and its signature Voodoo Burger. Long rural stretches connect these small towns, tracing the same up-and-down industries that built and, at times, nearly emptied them.

Designated for its historic qualities

Plan a drive on Boom or Bust Byway → Drive this route in Road SortiesTurn-by-turn on iPhone · App Store

Places to stop along Boom or Bust Byway

  1. Earl G. Williamson Park

    A park on Caddo Lake, a maze of bald cypress and Spanish moss, with a fishing pier and boat ramp.

  2. Louisiana State Oil and Gas Museum

    An Oil City museum on the 1900s boom, including the nation's first over-water oil wells drilled in Caddo Lake.

  3. Caddo Lake Drawbridge

    A 1914 steel drawbridge at Mooringsport, built to replace the ferry across the lake.

  4. Red River Crossroads Museum

    A small museum tracing the region from Caddo heritage through French, Spanish, and American eras.

  5. Claiborne Parish Courthouse

    An 1861 Greek Revival courthouse on Homer's square, among the few antebellum courthouses still in use in Louisiana.

  6. Herbert S. Ford Memorial Museum

    A Homer museum of north Louisiana hill country history, culture, and art.

    Website

  7. Lake Claiborne State Park

    A wooded lake park with a swimming beach, camping, and nature trails.

    Website

Where to Stay along Boom or Bust Byway

3 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of Boom or Bust Byway.

Homer, LAKel's Kove Cabins & RV ParkBook a site →Shreveport, LAGod's Country ResortBook a site →Shreveport, LAHillside RV ParkBook a site →Hotels & motelsNear Plain Dealing, LASearch stays →Renting an RV?Near Plain Dealing, LASee RV rentals →Harvest Hosts20% offPark free overnight at farms and wineriesSee membership →

Campsite, lodging, RV rental and membership links are affiliate links — booking through them may earn Road Sorties a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Recreation.gov links are not affiliate links.

What is a National Scenic Byway?

National Scenic Byways are roads recognized at the federal level for at least one outstanding quality — scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archaeological or recreational — that gives travelers a reason to seek them out rather than just pass through.

← All scenic roads in Louisiana