Take a ride through the flatlands of northeast Louisiana as we follow a quick but revealing stretch of Interstate 20 from Monroe to Rayville. This 20-mile segment of I-20 bridges the urban energy of Monroe with the quiet, agricultural heartbeat of Richland Parish, delivering a drive that moves fluidly between pine-shaded expressway and the vast openness of the Mississippi Delta.
Our journey begins on the eastern fringe of Monroe, Louisiana’s eighth-largest city, where we merge onto I-20 from the US-165 interchange. To the west lies the Ouachita River and Monroe’s bustling downtown; but here on the east side, the landscape is already beginning to exhale into broader horizons. As we enter the highway, we’re quickly enveloped by a corridor of pine and hardwoods, part of the edge of the Gulf Coastal Plain that defines this region’s rolling-to-flat transition. The traffic hums steadily as we pass the Pecanland Mall area behind us, and the city recedes in the rearview mirror.
As we continue eastward, the trees that once tightly flanked the highway begin to thin out. Gradually, the landscape opens into classic delta farmland—flat, fertile, and stretching toward the horizon in every direction. This region forms part of the western rim of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, and it shows in the grid of irrigation ditches, straight-line bayous, and the occasional glimpse of a crop duster sweeping low over rows of cotton or soybeans. Around Exit 132, we approach the community of Start, a tiny census-designated place that’s typical of many rural Louisiana towns—modest in population but rich in identity. It’s also famously the hometown of country music star Tim McGraw, whose roots trace back to this very soil.
At LA-133, the surrounding farmland becomes even more dominant, interrupted only by the rhythm of silos, farmhouses, and occasional tractor crossings. The road here is flat and fast, with wide medians and long views, inviting reflection even as we press forward. Eastern Louisiana’s I-20 corridor isn’t known for dramatic elevation or sharp curves—instead, its subtlety lies in how gently it transitions from one ecosystem to the next. It’s a drive that reveals itself in textures more than vistas: rustling reeds in roadside ditches, swaying cane grass, the smell of loamy earth after a rainstorm.
As we near Exit 138, the modest outline of Rayville comes into view, announcing itself not with skyscrapers or interchanges but with water towers, grain elevators, and the feel of a town built on its proximity to railroads and row crops. We exit the highway at US-425, one of Rayville’s main north-south arteries, and our journey along this stretch of I-20 comes to a close. Beyond lies the heart of the delta, and just a few miles farther, the road presses on toward Vicksburg and the Mississippi River.
Though brief, this drive offers a cross-section of northeastern Louisiana’s identity—from Monroe’s suburban sprawl to the quiet dignity of its agricultural roots. It’s a reminder that even a short segment of Interstate can offer a window into the story of a region—if you take the time to look past the shoulder.
🗺️ Route Map
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