Bayou Teche Trailhead dedication Thursday

Breaux Bridge – The first Bayou Teche Paddle Trail trailhead will be opened to the public on Thursday, Aug. 18, during an 11 a.m. dedication ceremony at Parc du Ponts (100 St. Bernard Street).
The paddle trail is the centerpiece of The TECHE Project’s EXPLORE It, one of three facets of TECHE Renaissance vision that builds a nature-based economy on the Teche corridor. “The trailhead is the beginning of infrastructure that supports the paddle trail and builds heritage tourism through low-impact recreation,” says Brent Miller, councilman with The TECHE Project, the Trail Managers. “We are working hard to put a trailhead in each Trail Town along the Bayou Teche and Lower Atchafalaya River.”
The non-profit organization successfully applied to get Bayou Teche Paddle Trail added to the National Water Trails System, a first for Louisiana, in January 2015. Designation as a national water trail placed the Teche in an elite group of rivers across the nation.
The new trailhead increases access for paddlers and provides such amenities as restrooms, water fountains, and places to lock up boats. By situating the trailhead in the downtown area, paddlers have walking access to provisions, lodging, restaurants, and dancehalls.
The trailhead was supported by a grant from the Federal Highways Administration’s Recreational Trails Program which is administered through the Louisiana Office of Culture, Recreation, and Tourism. Other partners that worked to make this trailhead a reality include St. Martin Parish Tourism, Angelle Architects, Edward Cazayoux, The City of Breaux Bridge, TRAIL, and Nature’s Link.
More information about the dedication and the Bayou Teche Paddle Trail can be found at www.techeproject.org or by calling 337-441-BYOU.