River guideLouisiana
Bayou Teche
Choose a town-to-town dock section on Louisiana’s Bayou Teche National Paddle Trail. Start with the named legs below, then compare longer itineraries in the picker. The upper and downstream trail sections have different portage and access needs.
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End of mapNational Paddle Trail sections
Bayou Teche dock-to-dock trips
The TECHE Project dock guide lists official docks and river-mile positions. The trail maps include parish-specific safety notes and access details; all trips here are planning routes because no stage-based scoring range has been verified for the Port Barre gauge. See the official paddle-trail maps before staging a trip.
Upper trail: Port Barre to St. Martinville
The TECHE Project describes the upper bayou through St. Martinville as suitable for families and inexperienced paddlers. Port Barre starts on Bayou Courtableau; paddle about 0.3 mile to the left to reach Bayou Teche. Routes involving Poche’s Bridge remain subject to endpoint review.
- Port Barre city boat launch dock (227 Bayou Dr) to Leonville official dock (129 Mistric St) — About 11.3 river miles
- Leonville official dock (129 Mistric St) to Arnaudville full-service trailhead (1023 Neblet St) — About 7.7 river miles
- Breaux Bridge Parc des Ponts trailhead (120 St. Bernard St) to Parks Cecil Poche Memorial Park dock (1019 Periou St) — About 8.1 river miles
- Parks Cecil Poche Memorial Park dock (1019 Periou St) to St. Martinville Old Market Street dock — About 7 river miles
Downstream trail: St. Martinville to Centerville
This section crosses the documented mile-52.6 obstruction after St. Martinville. The TECHE Project advises paddlers to portage left or arrange advance permission to lock through; check the parish map and local access before launch.
- St. Martinville Old Market Street dock to Loreauville official dock access area (119 Bridge St) — About 12.2 river miles
- Loreauville official dock access area (119 Bridge St) to New Iberia Kayak Park dock (108 Duperier Ave) — About 9.5 river miles
- New Iberia Kayak Park dock (108 Duperier Ave) to Jeanerette T.J. Viator City Park dock (imagery-derived water-entry edge) — About 11.1 river miles
- Jeanerette T.J. Viator City Park dock (imagery-derived water-entry edge) to Charenton official dock access area (3726 Chitimacha Trail) — About 9 river miles
- Charenton official dock access area (3726 Chitimacha Trail) to Baldwin Charenton Road Park and Recreational Complex dock — About 5 river miles
- Baldwin Charenton Road Park and Recreational Complex dock to Franklin Parc Sur La Teche dock (700 Teche Dr) — About 12.1 river miles
- Franklin Parc Sur La Teche dock (700 Teche Dr) to Centerville Schwan Park dock (imagery-derived water-entry edge) — About 5.9 river miles
Access review
Nine Bayou Teche trip options are temporarily withheld while their access coordinates are reviewed. Their old URLs point here; use one of the verified adjacent dock sections above and check the official map for each water-entry path, parking area and opening status. Longer overlapping trip options remain in the source inventory but are no longer separate trip choices.
USGS 07385450 at Port Barre reports stage, but its discharge record ended in October 2024 and the site has no verified stage thresholds for these reaches. Check the Teche-Vermilion water-level page, weather, dock notices and the specific parish map; a Port Barre reading is context rather than a live go/no-go score for the full trail.
River overview
Bayou Teche paddle planning
What to verify before you commit.
Water levels
These Bayou Teche routes use Bayou Teche at Port Barre, LA as the main gauge reference.
Route options
Compare 11 routes (0 scored · 11 planning) across St. Landry / St. Martin / Iberia parishes. Open a route page for put-in, take-out, distance, data reliability, and access notes.
Difficulty
Bayou Teche routes here are marked easy and moderate, so choose the stretch that fits your group and conditions.
Quick answers
Bayou Teche paddling FAQ
Where can I paddle the Bayou Teche?
Start with the named public dock-to-dock sections below. The TECHE Project marks the mile-52.6 St. Martinville obstruction as a portage or advance lock-through; trips beyond that boundary need separate access planning. Longer trip options remain in the picker, and no route has a live score.
How should I check Bayou Teche water levels?
These planning routes have no live conditions score. Use each route’s gauge notes and source guidance, then check current waterway notices, weather, access, and local conditions before launching.
How should I choose a Bayou Teche trip?
Compare distance, difficulty, launch access, and shuttle needs. These routes are planning references; verify current conditions with the linked sources before choosing a trip.