Atchafalaya River

Mile 124.2 - RBD Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (West)

John Ruskey

20 Apr 2026 � 1 min read

124.2 RBD Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (West)

Warning: Inflow. Paddlers, be alert, there is flow going into the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway off the Atchafalaya. Hardly noticeable at low water, but sucking inwards with strength at high water. When you paddle back from the Gulf this might be an additional consideration when planning your route.

The Gulf Intercostal Waterway cuts through the cypress swamps and coastal marshes west along the Louisiana coastal marshes and into Texas. There are a number of options from here on down to the Gulf for exiting east and west along other portions of the Intercostal Waterway, and interconnecting canals. Paddlers have been known to paddle down one of these options for destinations off the big river. But be ready for a long flatwater slog down straightline canals with nothing but barges, workboats and other commercial traffic for company, and small boats busy as bees. Your bankside companions will be a long parade of herons, egrets, pelicans, gators and turtles.

The Gulf Intracoastal Waterway is the portion of the Intercostal Waterway located along the Gulf Coast of the United States. It is a navigable waterway running approximately 1050 miles (1700 kilometers) from Carrabelle, Florida to Brownsville, Texas.

The waterway provides a channel with a controlling depth of 12 feet (3.7 meters), designed primarily for barge transportation. Although the U.S. government proposals for such a waterway were made in the early 19th century, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway was not completed until 1949. (Wikipedia)

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