LAFAYETTE — A proposed hiking and biking trail that would meander along the Vermilion River from Lafayette into St. Martin Parish is a bit closer to becoming a reality. The project is expected to receive about $100,000 this year from the state Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, said Lafayette City-Parish Planning Manager Mike Hollier. He said the funding could turn into a yearly allocation and jumpstart engineering and design work for the Atakapas-Ishak Trail, named after the Native Americans who settled along the Vermilion River. The entire project is estimated at $8 million and will likely not be completed for several years. But Hollier said the trail could be built in segments, and he sees no need to wait before moving forward on some of the easier pieces of the project, such as the stretch through Lafayette to the Vermilion River. “We are just going to get it going,” Hollier said. The planned trail would begin at Parc Sans Souci in downtown Lafayette and then move into the undeveloped wooded areas along the Vermilion River into St. Martin Parish. The trail would then diverge from the river to move up the Ruth Canal near Lake Martin before intersecting La. 31, which could be taken south toward St. Martinville or north to Breaux Bridge. “The objective is to connect downtown St. Martinville, downtown Lafayette and downtown Breaux Bridge,” Hollier said. A similar trail exists in St. Tammany Parish, where the Tammany Trace connects Abita Springs, Covington, Mandeville, Lacombe and Slidell.
St. Martin Parish President Guy Cormier said the trail would be a welcome addition to a parish that has long highlighted its history and natural areas to attract visitors.
“It would give an additional recreational opportunity for the people of St. Martin Parish, but also bring in some tourists,” Cormier said.
Hollier said much of the land for the proposed trail is either owned by a governmental entity or by The Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit conservation group that manages the Lake Martin Rookery and more than 9,000 acres of surrounding swamp and forests.
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