2 eBike Shops in Vermilion Parish, LA

Where to ride in Vermilion Parish

Palmetto Island State Park offers a boat launch on the Vermilion River, interior lagoons for canoes and kayaks, six cabins, 95 campsites, a visitor center, and a water playground. A visit costs $3 per person, though seniors 62 and older and children 3 and under enter free.

The park publishes a Hiking/Biking map made by the Friends of Palmetto Island State Park. The state parks page lists a 0.7-mile Cypress Trail as a nature trail, and the Friends map is labeled as not showing official distances, so we do not state a total mileage for the biking trails.

The gate opens at 7 in the morning and closes at 10 at night every day, and the phone number is 337-893-3930. The entrance station is staffed until 5 in the afternoon Sunday through Thursday and until 8 in the evening on Friday, Saturday, and days before holidays. The park rents canoes for $7 an hour or $25 a day.

The state parks biking list also includes Lake Fausse Pointe State Park in St. Martin Parish, a 6,000-acre site in the Atchafalaya Basin. It is a drive from Abbeville, and the Lafayette Parish ride guide lists its three nature trails.

The park sits on the Vermilion River, and its boat launch lets anglers and paddlers reach the water, so plan to pair a ride with time on the river.

Palmetto Island State Park is also home to the Louisiana Red Iris, which grows along a trail with a resting spot that doubles as an outdoor classroom.

The Atakapa-Ishak Trail in Lafayette Parish, which T.R.A.I.L. plans to extend past 100 miles, is the nearest long multi-use trail. The completed section links Parc Sans Souci to Beaver Park and Vermilionville.

eBike rules in Louisiana

Louisiana defines an electric-assisted bicycle in R.S. 32:1(25) as a bicycle with a saddle or seat, fully operable pedals, and an electric motor of less than 750 watts, on two wheels (either one at least 16 inches across) or three wheels (one at least 20 inches across). It sorts them into three classes. Class one assists only while you pedal and stops assisting at 20 mph. Class two may move the bike on its own and cannot assist at 20 mph. Class three assists only while you pedal and stops assisting at 28 mph.

R.S. 32:204 gives an electric-assisted bicycle the rights and duties of a bicycle, and R.S. 32:1 leaves it out of the definitions of motor vehicle and motorcycle. It may be ridden wherever bicycles are allowed, including streets, highways, bicycle lanes, shared-use trails, and bicycle paths. After notice and a public hearing, a local municipal authority, a parish authority, or a state agency in charge of a shared-use trail or path may prohibit Class one or Class two bikes there for safety reasons or to comply with other laws, and it may also prohibit Class three bikes. On a trail designated nonmotorized with a natural tread of cleared native soil, that authority may regulate eBikes on its own.

Nobody under 12 may operate a Class three eBike, though a child under 12 may ride as a passenger on a Class three built to carry one. Every Class three operator and passenger must wear an approved bicycle helmet, the fine is $50, and the fine is waived on proof of buying a helmet. A Class three must also have a speedometer that shows miles per hour. The section sets a helmet duty for Class three only, so read our Louisiana eBike laws guide, then the sign at the trailhead, because parish and park rules can go further.

Cities in Vermilion Parish

The eBike shops in Abbeville page covers the whole parish, because Abbeville is the only city listed.

Frequently asked questions