Bayou Teche Paddling Trail

OVERVIEW:

The Bayou Teche Paddling Trail begins in Jeanerette and ends near Calumet. Six boat docks are located along the trail. 

The Bayou Teche is a flat, slow moving body of water that is great for paddling.  Oak trees draped with moss, cypress trees, magnolia trees and redbud trees are all seen along the Bayou Teche.  If you look closely, you may see animals native to the Louisiana swamps, such as bald eagles, turtles, snakes, alligators, egrets and nutria.

The Bayou Teche, meaning “snake,” was named by the Chitimacha based on a legend.  Throughout the years, the Bayou Teche has been used for transportation, moving people and products between the cities.  All products that were imported or exported floated through this waterway, including the fine furnishings found in the historic homes that are still in place along the Bayou.  Franklin was once a thriving interior sugar port, as evidenced by the grand homes that align the banks of the Bayou Teche.  Franklin boasts over 400 noteworthy properties, many of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Homes.  The homes themselves were built on foundations and bricks forged from the clay found on the banks of the Bayou Teche.

History is rich along the Bayou Teche.  It winds through the site of the Chitimacha people, the earliest of residents along its waterways.  Plantation homes built before and after the Civil War still remain a part of the beauty of the area.  Remnants of the Civil War Battle of Irish Bend and the Battle of Bisland include sites where gunboats were sunk.  Today, much of the history of the area is preserved in local museums such as the Chitimacha Museum, the Charenton Heritage Museum, the Young-Sanders Center and the Grevemberg House Museum.

Visit www.chitimacha.gov for the history of the Bayou Teche.

While paddling along the Bayou Teche from Jeanerette to Calumet, there are several noteworthy properties that can be seen, such as: the Jeanerette Museum, Albania Plantation, St. Mary Sugar Co-Op, The Chitimacha Indian Reservation, Oaklawn Manor, Sterling Sugar Mill, Grevemberg House Museum, Young-Sanders Center, Downtown Historic Franklin, Franklin City Courthouse and the beautiful homes along the water.  From Jeanerette to Calumet, there are two working sugar mills.   During the last quarter of the year, sugar cane is harvested and the sugar is shipped down the Bayou Teche by barge.  You are welcome to stop at any of the boat landings for a picnic lunch, although there is no place to camp overnight.

Click here for a PDF printable version of the map.

NEARBY CITIES:

Jeanerette, Charenton, Baldwin, Franklin, Centerville

MILEAGE:

Approximately 37 miles
• Jeanerette City Park to Sorrel Bridge – 3.82 miles
• Sorrel Bridge to Adeline Bridge – 1.91 miles
• Adeline Bridge to Covenant/Charenton Bridge – 4.27 miles
• Covenant/Charenton Bridge to Katy Bridge – 5 miles
• Katy Bridge to Oaklawn Bridge – 5.4 miles
• Oaklawn Bridge to Sterling Bridge – 4.9 miles
• Sterling Bridge to Willow Street Bridge – 1 mile
• Willow Street Bridge to Centerville Bridge – 4.7 miles
• Centerville Bridge to Calumet Locks – 6.1 miles

TYPE OF TRAIL:

Linear route – shuttle service may be necessary

SKILL LEVEL:

Beginner

DIFFICULTY:

Easy

APPROXIMATE PADDLING TIME:

18 hours

USUAL CURRENT:

1 mph from north to south (Jeanerette to Calumet)

NOTES & PRECAUTIONS:

May through September can be very hot! Bring sunscreen, plenty of water and bug spray.

ACCESS:

• T. J. Viator Memorial Park (Jeanerette City Park) (337) 276-4424 – From Hwy 90, take Jeanerette Exit #668, which turns into LA 671 (LA 671 is also Canal Street).  Turn left onto Hwy 182 (Hwy 182 is also Main Street). Travel .5 miles on Main Street and take a right onto Wormser Street.  Take a left onto Tarleton and follow the road to the boat ramp on the Bayou Teche.
  
  GPS: N29 55' 08" W-91 40' 01"
• Chitimacha Boat Launch – From Hwy 90, take the Baldwin Exit (LA 83).  Turn left at the stop sign. Take a right onto Hwy 182.  At the traffic light, take a left onto LA 326.  From LA 326, take the first right after the street named Chitimacha Trail Loop. The road leading to the boat launch is unmarked, but there is a sign with the name of the boat launch on it once you turn down the road.  
  
  GPS: N29 53' 19.0" W-91 31' 51.0"
• Baldwin Boat Launch – From Hwy 90, take the Baldwin Exit (LA 83). Turn left at the stop sign. Turn right onto Hwy 182. From the light at this intersection, travel .3 miles on Hwy 182. Turn left at the United Methodist Church Cemetery next to the Sager-Brown Facility. (The road is unmarked.)  
  
  GPS: N29 49' 59.0" W-91 32' 34.0"
• Roseville Street Boat Launch – From Hwy 90, take the Franklin Exit # 3211.  Turn onto Northwest Blvd. At the light, take a right onto Hwy 182. At the cemetery, the road will fork; stay to the right.  Turn left onto Roseville Street, located just past the cemetery on the left. The boat launch is located behind the cemetery.
  
  GPS: N29 47' 58.0" W-91 29' 51.5 "
  
• Bayou Teche Boat Launch – From Hwy 90, take Franklin Exit # 3211, Turn onto Northwest Blvd. At the light, take a right onto Hwy 182. At the cemetery, the road will fork; stay to the right. Turn left onto Adams, Jackson or Commercial Street. Turn right onto Teche Drive. The boat launch is on the corner of Willow Street and Teche Drive.
  
  GPS: N29 47' 31.0" W-91 29' 57.0"
• Schwan Park & Boat Launch – From Hwy 90, take the Centerville/Burns Point Exit. Head towards Centerville on Hwy 317. At the red light, take a left onto Hwy 182. Take a right to cross the Centerville Bridge over the Bayou Teche. At the stop sign, take a right onto Hwy 87. Travel one mile and take a right into Schwan Park. You will see a picnic pavilion, swing set and a boat ramp. The area will not be lit after dark.
  
  GPS: N29 45' 41.0" W-91 25' 02.0"

POINTS OF INTEREST:

1. Jeanerette Museum, 500 Main Street, Jeanerette, (337) 276-4408
2. St. Mary Sugar Co-op Sugar Mill (Private)
3. Chitimacha Museum, 3289 Chitimacha Trail, Charenton, (337) 923-4830
4. Oaklawn Manor, 3296 Oaklawn Drive, Franklin, (337) 828-0434
5. Sterling Sugar Mill (Private)
6. Grevemberg House Museum, 407 Sterling Road, Franklin, (337) 828-2092
7. Young-Sanders Center, 104 Commercial Street, (337) 413-1861
8. Franklin Historic District/Franklin Main Street
9. St. Mary Parish Courthouse, Main Street, Franklin