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Dispelling Myths
About The Dismal Swamp Canal
9/01/02
Janet Parks
Charbonneau tied up at
Elizabeth City's free town docks. |
Heading up the Pasquotank
River on our way to the South Mills Lock. |
Sunrise over the Pasquotank
River. |
Again, the beauty and
serenity of the trip up the Pasquotank River. |
“You’re going through
the Dismal Swamp Canal? That’s
dangerous!” That's the typical response from other cruisers when we are
headed between North Carolina and Virginia and we tell them of our
intended route. They then
proceed to tell us all the horror stories they've heard about the canal,
such as how boats have lost their propellers on huge logs and those that
have destroyed their masts as they get tangled in the large branches
hanging over the canal. When
you ask if they have ever gone through the canal, their response is an
overwhelming “No! Too dangerous!”
They have been scared off by the myths, or exaggerated stories,
passed down from year to year and have never tried it themselves.
We like to dispel the myths that so many
cruisers tend to believe about the Dismal Swamp Canal.
You need to be careful transiting the canal, but if you stay in the
middle, any boat with a 6-foot draft or less shouldn’t have any
problems. Overhanging
branches reach over the canal from either side, so you have to learn to
look up, as well as forward, to make sure your mast stays clear.
However, there’s a wide opening between the branches, so stay in
the middle to avoid them. You
may also find some debris of logs or branches, but keep your eyes open to
steer clear of them and you’ll be fine.
It’s no worse than other parts of the ICW.
We’ve encouraged many to try the canal
and they rave about it once they have traveled through it. The scenery and peacefulness of the Dismal Swamp Canal and
the Pasquotank River is hard to explain; it’s something you need to
experience yourself. Even
though I have not seen the movie, my Dad said that it reminded him of the
trip down the Amazon River in the movie “African Queen”.
The Dismal Swamp Canal is steeped in
history and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was proposed by Colonel William Byrd II in 1728 and was
dug completely by hand from 1793-1805.
Its purpose was to provide an efficient means of internal
transportation between the North Carolina sounds region and the Virginia
tidewater areas. The canal
was originally too shallow for anything but flat boats and log rafts and
it contained 5 or 6 locks. In
1829, the canal was widened and deepened, and in 1899, major improvements
were made and the locks were decreased to 2.
The competition, the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal, was opened in
1859 and was bought by the US government in 1913 as part of the
government’s plan for a continuous inland waterway.
The Dismal Swamp Canal then wavered on the edge of bankruptcy until
the government bought it in 1929 in an act of fairness.
Today it is managed by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
Approaching the entrance to
the South Mills Lock. |
Charbonneau tied up inside
the South Mills Lock. |
The South Mills Lockmaster
lowers the bridge after we pass. |
A view of the canal from
Charbonneau's bow. |
A cruise through the Dismal Swamp Canal
is a beautiful journey with cypress trees lining the shores.
The water is coffee-colored due to the tannins in the waters;
we’ve been told that ships used to store this water for their overseas
journeys because bacteria would not grow in the tannin water.
Since no commercial traffic can use this route, it is a very
peaceful, almost mystical route. Blue
herons fly in front of your boat trying to stay ahead of you the whole
way.
Cruising guides say you may see deer
along the side or bear swimming across the canal.
We have seen beavers swimming in the waters, but our only bear was
the infamous “bear cow” on our initial journey south. On that particular trip we kept our eyes open hoping to
see some of the reported wildlife. In
the distance, I saw a black creature standing in the water.
Thinking it was a bear, I cried out “Bear……cow”.
As we approached closer, I realized it was a cow cooling off in the
water, but the rest of our crew questioned me…”Bear cow?”
So be on watch for ‘bear cows’ as you travel through the canal.
It is a 51-mile journey from Norfolk to
Elizabeth City via the Dismal Swamp Canal route.
Running at 5-6 knots, the trip can be made in one long day or
broken into two days. Leaving
Norfolk, leave early enough to make the openings of the bridges that close
at 6:30 AM for their morning rush hour.
At about mile 7, take the west route to the Dismal Swamp Canal. There is a sign at that intersection that will state the
status of the canal and the lock schedule or you can call the Corps of
Engineers during working hours at the Deep Creek Lock, (757) 487-0831.
There are two locks, one at Deep Creek at
mile 11 and one at South Mills at mile 32.
The normal opening times of the locks are 8:30 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:30
PM and 3:30 PM. Each
lock will raise or lower you around 8 feet.
Make sure you have a bow and stern line ready when you enter the
lock, as well as fenders. Fender
boards come in really handy to further protect your boat.
Just inside each lock is a small bridge operated by the lockmaster
and coordinated with the lock openings.
At the Deep Creek lock, lockmasters Robert and Kay are extremely
friendly offering coffee during their early morning lock and a land visit
for your canine crew.
The NC Dismal Swamp Canal
Visitor Center. |
We often spend the night
tied up alongside the visitor center. |
Reaching the Deep Creek lock for
the 8:30 AM opening allows you can make a lunch stop at the NC
Visitor’s Center and get to South Mills by 3:30PM for their last lock of
the day, leaving enough time to make the 19 mile journey to Elizabeth
City. At mile 20.9, there is
a portable bridge that a farmer has permission to slide across the canal
to transport his cattle and farm equipment; the bridge is in place just
long enough for him to complete his tasks. The bridge is usually open and is not normally a delay in
your trip. We’ve seen it
closed once and the farmer waited for us to pass by it before sliding it
closed for his use.
If you decide to make the 51-mile journey
in two days, there are various free places to tie up along the way.
There are dolphins (pilings) to tie up to on both sides of the
bridge/lock areas. South of
the Deep Creek lock, you can tie up at Elizabeth’s Dock, which is part
of the Deep Creek Lock Park. This
dock is located between the Deep Creek bridge and lock, so time your
arrival accordingly to make the bridge or lock opening to reach this dock.
At the Deep Creek bridge, you can tie up to a cement wall at the
south side of the bridge. It
is an easy walk from there to a grocery store, hardware store, dollar
store, and restaurants. At the South Mills bridge, you can tie up north of the bridge
near a local gas station. If
you are heading south and get to the South Mills bridge early, tie up here
and get an ice cream at the gas station.
One of our favorite overnight stops is
the NC Visitor’s Center at mile 28.
There is a 150’ free face dock where you can tie up for a short
visit or an overnight stay. The
center offers public restrooms, picnic tables, water, trash, recycling,
phones and a short nature trail. If
you stop here for a visit, please stop by the information center desk to
sign their boater’s log. Inside
the information center, there is a book exchange for cruisers.
If you stop at the NC Visitor’s center,
an interesting side journey is to dinghy up to mile 21.5 to the Lake
Drummond Feeder Ditch. Lake
Drummond is used to feed water to the canal to regulate water depths. You can take your dinghy 3 miles up the feeder ditch to Lake
Drummond. There is a free
electric railway that can take small boats, under 1000 pounds, over to
Lake Drummond. There are
picnic tables there, so take along a picnic lunch.
At mile 51 is Elizabeth City, which is a
must-stop city known as the “Harbor of Hospitality”.
They offer free transient slips for up to 48 hours and are
extremely welcoming to cruisers. If
the town docks are full, they will open other docking areas for you to tie
up and visit the town. The
Rose Buddies, headed by Fred Fearing, will greet you and help you dock. If a lady is part of the crew, the Rose Buddies will ask her
to select a rose from their beautiful rose bushes along the wharf.
When there are 4 or more boats visiting the free docks, they hold a
wine and cheese party for the cruisers.
Elizabeth City exudes southern hospitality, which is all the more
reason to give the Dismal Swamp Canal route a try.
Leave the myths behind and experience the magic of the great Dismal
Swamp Canal.
We passed just before a
local farmer pushes a bridge across the canal to transport his
cattle across. |
Elizabeth's Dock, also
free, is at the north end of the canal, just before the Deep
Creek Lock. |
Sawdust swirls atop the
canal waters from a nearby saw mill. |
Read the sign to see how far
you've come or how far you still have to go. |
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