At 70 miles long, the Bayou Vermilion winds from Lafayette to Abbeville, passing small farming communities, marshland and cows — a lot of cows — on its journey to the Vermilion Bay and Gulf of Mexico.
The river is part of the landscape of life in southwest Acadiana, used to move goods and explored by fishermen and recreational boaters, but little experienced by the thousands of people who live alongside it. Nobody swims in it, for the most part, and few use it in the course of their daily lives — whether paddling downriver to visit a neighbor, or simply spending a day on its banks.
There are several reasons for this. The Vermilion was once dubbed the “most polluted river in America,” and its waters are still contaminated in sections by agricultural runoff and waste. There are few public access points along the banks, and paddling the river presents many unknowns — from the vagaries of weather and wildlife, to limited cell signal as the bayou carries you away from populated areas.
But that’s where the adventure comes in, according to longtime paddler Greg Guidroz. As an experienced guide, he loves helping people explore the waterway and reach a new understanding of one of Acadiana’s defining natural features…