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Cane River: Highway 494, Cane River National Heritage Area, Louisiana
Photo: Billy Hathorn · CC BY-SA 3.0

Drives Louisiana Louisiana and Mississippi

Cane River: Highway 494

LA 494, LA 119, LA 1 · Natchitoches → Melrose

Leisurely21 mi30 min100 ft climbHigh point ≈ 100 ftOne way
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The drive

This drive runs south from Natchitoches along Cane River Lake to Melrose, about 21 miles on the Cane River National Heritage Trail Scenic Byway. The river was once a main channel of the Red River and is now an oxbow lake, with farmland, sugar cane and pecan orchards along its banks and live oaks, magnolias and crape myrtles on its red-soil banks.

Natchitoches is the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase area, with a 33-block historic district. South of town the road follows LA 494 and LA 119, joining LA 1 for a few miles to connect the two sides of the river. The byway passes Oakland and Magnolia plantations, which make up Cane River Creole National Historical Park, and the drive ends at Melrose Plantation, about 16 miles from Natchitoches. Melrose was built by the family of Marie Therese Coincoin, who was born enslaved and won her freedom, and it is where Clementine Hunter painted in the 1940s.

The road is flat and slow. It is a relaxed drive for the plantation houses and live-oak lanes, not for the curves.

Along the way

  1. Natchitoches (Keyser Avenue)
  2. Oakland Plantation (Cane River Creole National Historical Park)
  3. Bermuda
  4. Melrose
Elevation
100 ft of climbing · high point ≈ 100 ft
NatchitochesMelrose
Curves
Mostly gentle curves
NatchitochesMelrose
GentleHairpins

Good to know

  • The route uses about 3 miles of LA 1 to switch sides of the river.
  • The plantations keep their own hours and fees, so check before you plan to stop.
  • The national historical park shares the stories of enslaved workers, tenant farmers and owners.

Open all year, weather permitting. Roads close for snow, fire, storms and repairs: before you set off, check 511LA (Louisiana DOTD).

Questions about this drive

How long does the Cane River drive from Natchitoches to Melrose take?

The Cane River drive from Natchitoches to Melrose is 20.8 miles and takes about 30 minutes.

What is the Cane River National Heritage Trail Scenic Byway?

It is a 71-mile scenic byway along Cane River from Natchitoches to Cloutierville, passing plantations, farmland and live oaks. This drive covers the part from Natchitoches to Melrose.

Is the Cane River drive twisty?

No. The drive is flat and leisurely, with mostly gentle curves; the draw is the plantations and oak-lined lanes.

What is at the end of the drive in Melrose?

Melrose is a plantation about 16 miles south of Natchitoches, built by the family of Marie Therese Coincoin and later home to painter Clementine Hunter.

What you get in the app

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Distance, time, elevation, curves and intensity are from Carve's route. Checked 2026-10-28.

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Map of Cane River: Highway 494, from Natchitoches to Melrose