The Great Dismal Swamp

It’s not dismal at all. It is beautiful, peaceful, and smells good! It’s not crowded, it provides a free dock, it’s got a great state park, it is crawling with history.

Coming down the ICW boaters have a choice between the Dismal Swamp Canal or the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal route through southern Virginia and northern North Carolina. Because it is so shallow and narrow, the Dismal Swamp route is free from commercial traffic and anyone in any kind of a hurry. Water depth is controlled by a lock at the north end of the canal and a lock at the south end of the canal.

We brought a conch shell we picked up in the Bahamas in 2019 as a gift for Bob, the lock master at the north lock. He was a super friendly guy and was a highlight of our trip through here when we did it on our sailboat. Alas, Bob died in 2020, but his replacement is carrying on the tradition of friendly and helpful.

The Dismal Swamp Visitors Center offers free docking so we stayed two nights. Our full day at the dock was a rainy one and we got caught up on maintenance tasks (oil change, scrubbing the boat, etc.).

Ellen is tending the lines as we lock up to the Dismal Swamp Canal

The water in the Great Dismal Swamp is the color of root beer because of tannins and humates from decaying juniper, gum, and cypress trees. It also stains boat hulls and makes the notion of swimming very unappealing. You can go head and look up humane and tannin on your own time.

The place was so peaceful and serene in the rain.

Our third night in the Dismal Swamp found us anchored near Goat Island. Sunrise brought shifting mist on the water.

The neighborhood was considerably less lush, but starkly beautiful nevertheless.