Atchafalaya, Two O’Clock Bayou, Hwy 190, LA
Kayak route map starting at a launch along Hwy 190/Old Hwy 190 at the north end of the Atchafalaya Basin in Louisiana. There is a self-pay kiosk and launching costs $3 in a little envelope. The place is not so obvious by scrolling through google satellite images but the trail is posted on the Pack and Paddle site so it’s worth a try. It’s a short out and back with a few side channels to explore if water levels are high enough (turnarounds are approximate). One of them may connect to Bayou Cortableau to the west. The paddle is pretty in the north-south sections but some of the east-west section runs through land that has been logged. Nice though, with a few gators. This particular trip launched about noon in early March after driving in from Dallas. On the trip down lunch was a couple deep fried jalapeno cheese boudin spheres and some cracklins at a little gas station place and they were so good. I later bought a package of frozen crawfish at a supermarket and brought it back to Dallas in the cooler to make etouffee. It was fantastic, two big helpings, and then I got very very sick.
30.54721,-91.82854
Launch Site Google Maps Link
Above: The launch site for Two O’Clock Bayou.
Above: Late winter blooming thistle.
Above: Find the alligator.
Above: Scribble Scrabble.
Above: A small channel through the yellow flowers, barely deep enough.
Above: Last stop, everybody out, forever.
Above: Pig trap. I wonder how often it is checked, I wouldn’t get inside.
Above: A little interior lake area somewhere, logged out.