Kayaking Bayou Lacombe - North from Main Street Launch

Here's a really nice paddle on beautiful Bayou Lacombe, starting and finishing at the Main St public boat launch, in Lacombe, LA. Lacombe is located on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, in St. Tammany Parish. The trip to the launch from the Metairie/New Orleans side of the Causeway Bridge is typically a 40-50 minute drive, depending on traffic.

Main St Boat Launch 

Here's a snip of a Google Map image of the general area for perspective. You'll notice the Cane Bayou launch on the left side of this map:

The Bayou Lacombe Main Street  launch is just a little detour off of Hwy 190, where Hwy 190 makes a sharp turn through the town of Lacombe, and is at the end of a very pretty, oak-lined road. There are some classic live oaks overhanging the road, and I've heard you sometimes need to watch for low branches on one of the trees (not in this picture) if you have your kayak or canoe on the roof of your car, but it's always been clear for me. 

When you look at a map of Bayou Lacombe at the Main St ramp, you'll see a clear option to the left, winding and curving west and north (that's the red route below), and a clear option to the right, going south (mostly) to the lake. You'll also see a smaller branch in between these two that takes a more northerly route. This post will be about the option to the left (in red), following the very curvy bayou north and west. 

I don't have any experience with that smaller, center option, but the right-hand option, out to Lake Pontchartrain, is also a very nice paddle. I may update this post, or add a separate post altogether for that one. Keep in mind, that route out to the lake is completely different than the route I'm describing here. Between the launch and the lake, Bayou Lacombe becomes more of a coastal grassland, and is much more exposed to any wind. Plus, almost all power boats leaving the launch will be going to the lake, so you'll deal with some wake. And.....to add a little excitement, you'll probably see a few gators swimming back and forth. But again, more about that in another post or in an update to this one.

Our route today is a "walk in the woods". Other than any wind, this is a very calm, very flat water route, lined with trees and a few homes. I would call this a beginner friendly paddle suitable for kayaks or canoes of almost any length. The only caveat: so far I have not paddled this route in the peak times of peak boating season, but based on the number of private boats I've passed docked along this route, you should expect some traffic headed to or from the lake. So far, I've only passed smaller fishing boats. Along the way you will pass some places to stop if you need to. Some of these places will be unmarked land, some will be private docks, and some will clearly be someone's land--so be careful about trespassing. Much of this paddle zigzags semi-parallel to Fish Hatchery Road, close enough that you can sometimes hear traffic driving nearby, and as I mentioned, you will pass homes. But you're still semi-isolated out here, so stay within your limits, wear your PFD, if you're alone make sure someone knows where you're going and when you should be back, and bring a phone in a waterproof sleeve or dry bag.

This is an out-and-back trip, so you can set your distance. On my last trip, I had to turn around a little after the 4 mile mark due to this(I didn't bring my machete):

So far, I've only gotten usable pictures on a beautiful fall day in October 2020. There is a myth that we don't get fall colors this far south. Wrong: You just need to paddle to them. Cypress trees, in particular, start turning beautiful shades of orange/rust and red.  I'll make a point of getting some pictures next spring, when the reds and yellows in these pictures will be vivid green, mixed with blooming flowers. 

 Again, this is an out-and-back, so I don't need to give much direction. I'll just describe a couple of things, and let the pictures say the rest. 

 

As you leave the launch, the bayou is fairly wide, and you'll pass a few homes and their docks and boats. You'll continue to pass a few houses off and on along much of this route. Water levels do change enough with tides and winds that some "land" marks change or disappear around this launch from day to day or week to week, so remember, go left almost as soon as you launch.

On my October 2020 trip, each curve of the bayou seemed to give another amazing camera shot of colors and water birds. With the dark, mirror-like surface, this paddle is a wannabe photographer's dream. Being a wannabee, I took a ton of pictures.

Just after a mile or so, you pass under Hwy 190:

Shortly after Hwy 190, you'll pass a couple of short oxbows or cul de sacs  as you paddle past the Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge and a Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries hatchery.  Then the bayou becomes a little less curvy for a bit, maybe a mile, before the curves return, zigzagging a little more east of north.

 

The two pictures above are of the same spot--one on the way out, and one on the way back.

As you continue paddling "upriver", you may hear animals moving in the woods alongside your paddle (sounded like deer to me), and you'll definitely see and hear birds all around, and of course, turtles splashing into the water as you approach. At one point, while playing master photographer, I'm pretty sure I heard something swimming in the bayou behind my kayak, but I never caught a glimpse of whatever it was.  

The bayou narrows as you continue, with more branches hanging overhead. Around the 3 1/2 or 4 mile mark you may have to duck branches or maneuver around trees and logs. Expect to scrape some semi-submerged logs, by the way.

 

I mentioned that on my October 2020 trip I was forced to turn around by some blockage I couldn't get through, but the water was also getting pretty shallow by that point. On that day, the water level at the launch was pretty high--probably 10-12 inches deeper than usual (we'd had a few days of east-southeast winds, pushing water into Lake Pontchartrain and into the north shore rivers and bayous). So it's possible that in different wind/water level conditions, I would have been forced to turn around just due shallow water.

For me, this is such a photo tour that I'm taking a lot of time, paddling slowly, stopping to take pictures, etc, and turning around after 3 or 4 miles is fine.  Because this route is so curvy, your return trip does not feel like a simple "return trip". You'll be seeing each of those beautiful curves from a different angle, and I end up taking pictures of some of the same spots. With the sun at a different angle on your return, you see brand new sights, or see some of the same spots in a brand new light, so to speak.

I'll probably update this post as I paddle Bayou Lacombe in different seasons. Meanwhile, enjoy this great walk in the woods!