{"id":6634,"date":"2017-08-03T07:00:40","date_gmt":"2017-08-03T12:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/?p=6634"},"modified":"2017-08-02T15:24:29","modified_gmt":"2017-08-02T20:24:29","slug":"kayaking-in-swla","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2017\/08\/03\/kayaking-in-swla\/","title":{"rendered":"Kayaking In SWLA"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Danny Garrett<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s July, and we\u2019re deep in summer in Southwest Louisiana. The weather\u2019s warm, and everyone\u2019s outdoors making a time of it.<\/p>\n

In town, many of us have different interests when it comes to enjoying ourselves deep in the summer months: beach volleyball at Golden Nugget, tennis at the Lake Charles Racquet Club or swimming at Second Ave. It\u2019s imperative to know you don\u2019t have to leave Calcasieu or Cameron Parish to engage in your idea of summer fun.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>This goes for kayaking. Many in the Lake Area can\u2019t get enough of the water. We\u2019re surrounded by it (a situation that characterizes many cities in Louisiana).<\/p>\n

Therefore, it\u2019s not surprising that we engage in water sports for competition or good-ole-fashioned leisure. Kayaking is an extension of our love of boating, paddle boarding and water skiing.<\/p>\n

But let\u2019s say you\u2019re not aware of the best places to kayak in the Lake Area, as the best places to water-ski or deep-water fish aren\u2019t necessarily synonymous with the best places to kayak. No worries. Lagniappe Magazine has you covered. We have devised a list of some of the greatest places to kayak locally. In so doing, we covered our bases, keeping in mind that many kayakers have varying desires. While some will enjoy a family kayaking trip down a recognizable path at a popular Lake Charles park, others will enjoy a solitary trip in a bayou outside Hackberry, peacefully taking in the marsh, wildlife and quietude.<\/p>\n

Prien Lake Park \u00a0– 3700 W. Prien Lake Road<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prien Lake Park has many assets. The one that tops the list for me is its sand launch. Not every kayak spot has one, which means you miss out on the smooth and soft launch into the water, and the seamless landing once you return. The sound can be a tad grating when the polyethylene bottom of your kayak scrapes against a concrete launch.<\/p>\n

And that gets us to the thematic beauty about Prien Lake Park\u2019s kayak path. There\u2019s nothing grating about it. The spot\u2019s both familiar and familial. On land, you\u2019ll have a family hosting a birthday party and barbecue, with children playing in the water in proximity to the banks. Families are kayaking, too, staying together in their multi-colored watercrafts. They head south, down Henderson Bayou, under the Henderson Bayou Bridge and beyond.<\/p>\n

The water isn\u2019t too deep, and it\u2019s the color of a light mocha \u2014 so light that you can see speckled trout swim near the water\u2019s surface. The gill-breathing creatures are a happy bunch on Henderson Bayou. Out of the water, they somersault into the air and dive back \u2013 splashing \u2013 into their liquid, sedimentary habitat.<\/p>\n

On the kayak path, you never feel as if you\u2019re far from civilization. After all, you are launching from a park that has a SprayGround Waterpark and an amphitheater. As you paddle south past a wide collection of moss-covered cypress trees, you pass the luxurious backyards of Lizlynn Lane, Henderson Forest Lane and Bayou Bend Road.<\/p>\n

Once you head back north, you can either end your journey or keep paddling out to Indian Bay and Prien Lake, where the waters are deeper. The extended journey affords an excellent view of the Israel LaFleur Bridge, and a stunning setting sun if you\u2019re kayaking in the late evening.<\/p>\n

If you have extra energy, feel free to kayak all the way to LaFleur Park, which is half a mile from Prien Lake Park. There you\u2019ll find another sandy launch from which you can seamlessly and smoothly arrive and return.<\/p>\n

WEST COVE BAY \u00a0– \u00a0N 29.866483 W 93.452686, Highway 27<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>You may wish to go farther on your next kayak trip \u2014 to some place that\u2019s not necessarily in Lake Charles and that will quench your appetite for a spot more adventurous and on the wild side. It would be an opportunity for your family, or maybe just you, to be more isolated, and engage in what suits you best in this type of environment, whether it be bird-watching, fishing or photography.<\/p>\n

Such a place is West Cove Bay, located in Cameron Parish between Hackberry and Holly Beach. Highway 27 is the major route you use to reach this destination.<\/p>\n

Why is this spot more beneficial to someone seeking isolation and a wilderness aesthetic? It\u2019s a part of the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge, a nearly 126,000-acre sanctuary that\u2019s home to more than 200 species of birds, American alligators and blue crabs, and a whole host of mammals, including rabbits and otters. So, while wading through the marshland, focusing Zen-like on the calm push of your paddle through the bay\u2019s waters, keep your camera ready if photography is your niche. There\u2019s much to capture.<\/p>\n

While there, I was able to set my camera\u2019s lens on a fledgling eastern cottontail, geese, a black butterfly with yellow trim and almost a red-winged blackbird. I\u2019m usually too slow on the uptake, and they are too quick for me to get a decent photo of them. No matter \u2014 if there\u2019s one thing that\u2019s easy to capture, it\u2019s the plentiful marsh and saltwater coexisting together. They seem to stretch for days on the refuge.<\/p>\n

If West Cove Bay is up your alley, I also recommend Choupique Bayou. It\u2019s a few miles north of West Cove on Highway 27, and it offers a lot of the same things in terms of environment.<\/p>\n

Anthony Ferry –\u00a03201 Anthony Ferry Road, Sulphur<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>From Lake Charles, it\u2019s a bit of a trek to get there. You first take I-10; next, get off at the Westlake exit; then connect from 378 to 379, the latter of which is Houston River Road; and last, you verge right on to Anthony Ferry Road. Got all that? Excellent.<\/p>\n

The trek is worth it. Anthony Ferry\u2019s Boat Launch is connected to the meandering Houston River, and the water is still there \u2014 peacefully so. Even when a boat equipped with a motor comes around a corner \u2014 creating ripples, making waves \u2014 the river quickly returns to equilibrium; back to a calm stillness. It\u2019s as if the boat wasn\u2019t there a minute ago.<\/p>\n

This kayak spot is relaxing for these reasons and others. It\u2019s Louisiana, so you\u2019ll have your moss-covered trees and lily pad-dotted waters to embellish the scenery.<\/p>\n

Anthony Ferry has so much going for it in terms of its tranquility that Heroes on the Water, a non-profit organization that helps \u201cwounded warriors relax, rehabilitate and reintegrate through kayak fishing and the outdoors,\u201d recently held a session there.<\/p>\n

Sam Houston Jones State Park –\u00a0107 Sutherland Road<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Sam Houston Jones State Park is our last kayaking spot on the list, and for good reason. The location overflows with advantages. Even before reaching its waters, you\u2019ll be impressed by the park\u2019s massive size and the diversity of its wildlife. I had to stop in my tracks many times before I reached the kayak and boat launch to marvel and take photos of friendly deer grazing on the outer edges of the woods. I imagined myself camping here, surrounded by the bald cypress trees and the green-filled lagoons.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re free to admire from your kayak, and admire long. You can paddle for miles, beginning at this park. Sam Houston Jones is located at the confluence of the Houston and Calcasieu Rivers and Indian Bay. You could paddle all the way to the Gulf of Mexico if you so desired, for one launching spot is on the West Fork of the Calcasieu River.<\/p>\n

Like other spots on this list, Sam Houston Jones is very peaceful. The park\u2019s named after our state\u2019s 46th governor, who was heavily involved in setting aside this land for the public to enjoy. The caretakers of this park have done such an excellent job of keeping the land in its natural state that, while kayaking, you\u2019ll have scenic views of many tree species and migratory birds. It\u2019s the perfect place to do photography or simply observe your surroundings.<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re an avid and seasoned kayaker or boater in the Lake Area, I\u2019m sure you have more spots to recommend, from Lorraine Park in Hayes (can\u2019t forget about the Bell City area) to English Bayou in Moss Bluff and Big Lake, right here in Lake Charles.<\/p>\n

We have many local waterways that kayakers can enjoy. It\u2019s important to share the wealth.<\/p>\n

For a couple of these trips, I used a black cherry Old Town, Trip 10 Angler DLX kayak with a blue 2-piece Chute paddle. The Old Town\u2019s 10 feet long. It comes equipped with a large camlock hatch and a comfort flex seat.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re in the market for a kayak, you can definitely go all out and purchase a deluxe Hobie with supreme specifications.<\/p>\n

You may want your kayak to have a paddle drive, a retractable rudder and a transducer mount.<\/p>\n

But none of that\u2019s necessary if you desire a simple and scenic kayaking trip in your spot of choice. You can use a vessel that can easily be attached on the top of your car or SUV for a family trip. A kayak that\u2019s lightweight and less well-equipped can do the job for you.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re in need of further information, Ship To Shore Co., our local maritime store in Lake Charles, will provide helpful assistance. Their staff is knowledgeable about marine safety, waterway maps, boat specifications and places to buy or rent kayaks. One of their staff members, Garrett Picou, has been of invaluable help to me and others for all things kayaking. I\u2019m thankful for him and the high-quality service that Ship To Shore has brought to the Lake Area for years.<\/p>\n

Happy kayaking!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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In town, many of us have different interests when it comes to enjoying ourselves deep in the summer months: beach volleyball at Golden Nugget, tennis at the Lake Charles Racquet Club [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":47,"featured_media":6635,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1539,1219,4,1536,1537,1540,1538],"yoast_head":"\nKayaking In SWLA - BestOfSwla<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2017\/08\/03\/kayaking-in-swla\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kayaking In SWLA - BestOfSwla\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Danny Garrett It\u2019s July, and we\u2019re deep in summer in Southwest Louisiana. 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