LAFAYETTE, LA (AP) — Navigating the Vermilion River just became much easier, thanks to a Web application made through a partnership among the Bayou Vermilion District, Lafayette Consolidated Government and technology firm CGI Federal.
From the North Landing underneath Interstate 10 to where the river empties into the Gulf of Mexico, the new app points out rest stops, bars, bridges, camping areas and landmarks for canoers and kayakers paddling down the river.
"With new technologies, we felt that the best thing to do was to offer people information about canoeing, kayaking and boating on the bayou," said Bayou Vermilion District Recreation and Education Coordinator Greg Guidroz, who collected the information for the paddle trail map and helped determine the coordinates for the app.
Greg Guidroz tells The Advocate’s Seth Dickerson there are 73 areas on the map highlighting points of interest along the 33-mile stretch of river.
"It can tell you where you can put in, where you can take out, where you can go to the bathroom, where you can stop and go to the store," Guidroz said.
Each point on the app is highlighted with a picture and text .
"One of the things I like about it is that it provided sort of a play-by-play by describing key sites along the river," said Jason El Koubi, president and CEO of the regional business group One Acadiana and an avid kayaker who tried the app on his smartphone last weekend. "It was a great tool for understanding what I was seeing along the way."
He said the app made it easy to determine the best place to put his kayak in, as well finding the street address for the launch.
