The TECHE Project announced Friday that the installation of a floating dock in Baldwin is now complete.

Baldwin Mayor Abel “Phil” Prejean said he was pleased to see this addition to the park and invited all to come paddle to Baldwin to see the beautiful sights along the bayou and enjoy the town.

“It is only five bayou miles from the access dock at Chitimacha Park in Charenton to our paddle trail dock, which I’ve been told is an easy morning paddle,” he said.

The TECHE Project and the Town of Baldwin officially opened the paddle trail access dock on August 26.

The dock installation was implemented via a grant from the Federal Highway

Administration’s Recreational Trails Program administered through the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. As planned, the Bayou Teche Paddle Trail will have a total of 15 official access points for paddle trips, with paddle destinations in communities along the bayou as short as 5 miles and as long as 12 miles.

The trail lies parallel with the state’s Bayou Teche Scenic Byway and is part of the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area.

Bayou Teche has the distinction of being the only National Water Trail in Louisiana and one of only 21 nationally recognized water trails in the nation. That honor was bestowed in 2015 by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Designation as a National Water Trail places the Teche in an elite group of waterways and will increase recreational tourism for the 15 communities and four parishes the 135-mile bayou touches.

The Baldwin access dock joins floating docks in Port Barre, Arnaudville, Breaux Bridge, St. Martinville, Loreauville, Jeanerette, Charenton and Patterson and is located at what is known as Charenton Road Park and Recreational Complex. It provides access to Bayou Teche for paddlers of all ages and skill levels while developing low-impact recreation that promotes tourism in communities along

Bayou Teche.

More information, including a full list of dock locations, can be found at techeproject.org.