Lafayette Travel and the Bayou Vermilion District have partnered to host the Vermilion Voyage (March 20-22), a three-day overnight paddle down the Bayou Vermilion launching from the Acadiana Park Nature Station to Palmetto Island State Park. Participants will have the rare opportunity to paddle consecutively just over 50 miles of the Vermilion River through Lafayette and Vermilion Parishes.
Registration for the event is $400 and includes paddle craft, life jacket, guide, shuttle service, insurance costs, gear transport, breakfast, lunch, and dinner with some beverages and evening entertainment. Please note, while this voyage is considered a Class I (paddler is familiar with basic strokes and can handle a tandem canoe competently in flat water) please take into consideration the daily mileage.
For registration details and more information, please visit LafayetteTravel.com/VermilionVoyage/.
The itinerary is as follows:
Day 1 – Nature Station to Southside Park | 21.52 miles
The event will launch from the Acadiana Park Nature Station on the Friday. Participants will park their cars at Vermilionville at 7 a.m., where they will be provided breakfast before being transported by shuttle to the Nature Station. Paddlers will launch from the Nature Station around 8 a.m. and stop for lunch at Vermilionville’s La Cuisine de Maman. There will also be an opportunity for a brief guided tour of the historic village and watershed exhibit. Overnight will be at Southside Park, where primitive camping will be available with access to electricity, bathrooms, and water. Dinner will be provided.
Day 2 – Southside Park to Richards Sales Barn | 17.38 miles
The second day will start with a grab-and-go breakfast launching from Southside Park at 8 a.m. Paddlers will break for lunch around the mid-way point, where we will also take an extended break to explore. The overnight will be at the Richard Sale Barn, where primitive camping will be made available with minimal access to electricity. Dinner will be provided.
Day 3 – Richard’s Sales Barn to Palmetto Island State Park | 11.68 miles
The third day will start with a grab-and-go breakfast launching from Richard’s Sale Barn at 7 a.m. Paddlers will break for lunch around the midway point, where we also take an extended break to explore. Paddlers will finish at Palmetto Island State Park with access to electricity, bathrooms, and water. Dinner will be provided while the gear is being loaded. Paddlers will be picked up and transported back to their car at Vermilionville along with their gear.
If you have questions or would like to register by phone, please email Jesse Guidry at jesse@lafayettetravel.com or call (337) 769-3816.
VERMILION VOYAGE ASSETS
Event poster and images can be downloaded via this Dropbox link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1joytvqnkeoz9mg/AADw1FRFefhprTkdJYHV0TpAa?dl=0.
Images used must credit the photographer, whose name is in the filename. Lafayette Travel must approve any other use of these images.
ABOUT LAFAYETTE TRAVEL
The Lafayette Convention & Visitors Commission, branded as Lafayette Travel, is a marketing organization created in 1974 to promote Lafayette Parish as a destination for visitors, meetings, conventions, tours, and sporting events. LCVC is funded primarily by a four percent occupancy tax paid by visitors to Lafayette Parish. In 2008, LCVC was the first tourist commission in Louisiana to be awarded accreditation by the Destination Marketing Accreditation Program. LafayetteTravel.com
ABOUT BAYOU VERMILION DISTRICT
Since 1984, the Lafayette Parish Bayou Vermilion District has worked to beautify, conserve, and manage sites along the Vermilion, ensuring the preservation and enhancement of the natural and cultural resources for the citizens of Lafayette Parish. The Bayou Vermilion District’s mission focuses both on the environment and the unique culture of Lafayette. BayouVermilionDistrict.org