The highway connects a string of small communities and cities in the Acadiana region of the state at a distance of roughly 20 to 25 miles (32 to 40 km) from the Gulf of Mexico.

From the west, LA 14 begins at an intersection with US 90 (Fruge Street) and US 171 (North Martin Luther King Highway) in Lake Charles.

This intersection, located directly east of the downtown area, also marks the southern terminus of US 171, which heads north toward DeRidder.

Signs direct motorists to two nearby interchanges with I-10: north on US 171 for eastbound I-10 to Lafayette and west on US 90 for westbound I-10 to Beaumont, Texas.

2 miles (3.2 km) later, LA 14 passes through a diamond interchange with I-210 (Exit 8), a southern bypass of Lake Charles.

Over the next 21 miles (34 km), LA 14 zigzags through southeastern Calcasieu Parish along rural section line roads.

It then turns due east to re-enter Vermilion Parish, throughout which the route is generally designated as Veterans Memorial Drive.

Over the next 11 miles (18 km), the highway passes through points such as Wright and Mulvey, intersecting several minor state routes.

Upon exiting Kaplan, LA 14 loses its center lane and proceeds due east through the tiny community of Nunez.

The mainline route, West Summers Drive, proceeds straight ahead and widens to a four-lane highway with a center turning lane.

Passing through a mixed residential and commercial area, the highway intersects LA 338 and curves southeast to rejoin the business route.

[3][9][10] As LA 14 approaches the town of Erath, the center lane gives way to a median, and the highway begins to parallel the Louisiana and Delta Railroad (LDRR) line.

[3][9][10] In Iberia Parish, LA 14 becomes a divided four-lane highway once more and curves to the northeast away from the rail line in an area known as Bob Acres.

After 7 miles (11 km), LA 14 passes through an interchange with US 90 at Exit 128A, simultaneously entering the parish seat, the city of New Iberia.

The highway continues through town on Center Street and intersects LA 674 (East Admiral Doyle Drive).

[3] The western portion of LA 14 from Lake Charles to south of Hayes is part of the Creole Nature Trail, a National Scenic Byway All-American Road.

[13] Two additional portions of LA 14 are included in the state-designated system of tourist routes known as the Louisiana Scenic Byways.

[3][16][23] The intervening section of present-day LA 14 from Holmwood to Lake Arthur made up the majority of former State Route 98.

With the 1955 renumbering, the state highway department initially categorized all routes into three classes: "A" (primary), "B" (secondary), and "C" (farm-to-market).

[32][34] In about 1966, the four-lane bypass of Abbeville was opened, allowing truck and other through traffic to avoid having to navigate around both the Magdalen and Courthouse Squares as well as a narrow lift bridge across the Vermilion River.

La DOTD is currently engaged in a program that aims to transfer about 5,000 miles (8,000 km) of state-owned roadways to local governments over the next several years.

[40] Under this plan of "right-sizing" the state highway system, the business routes of LA 14 through Abbeville and Erath are proposed for deletion as they do not meet a significant interurban travel function.

[1][42] The highway follows the original route of LA 14 through the downtown area, traversing a narrow two-lane vertical lift bridge across Bayou Vermilion and navigating around two town squares located only one block apart.

branches off of mainline LA 14 (West Summers Drive) just inside the Abbeville city limits and travels along Port Street.

The courthouse square also marks an intersection with LA 82, which follows the one-way pair of St. Charles and State Streets north toward Lafayette.

To the south, State Street carries two-way traffic for southbound LA 82 toward Perry and Intracoastal City.

After crossing a bridge over a small waterway, the route passes through the commercial center of town and intersects two state highways located one block apart.

At this time, a slight northern bypass of Erath was opened as part of a project to widen LA 14 to four lanes between Abbeville and Delcambre.

intersected LA 82 (North State Street), connecting with points south of town such as Perry and Intracoastal City.

Passing through a mixed residential and commercial area, the highway intersected LA 338 and curved southeast to reconnect with the mainline route on the east side of town.