The Dismal Swamp Saturday/Sunday June 21 and 22 – Pasquotank River & the Dismal Swamp – MM 51 through 27 |
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By far we were treated to some of the most gorgeous sailing we have ever done. Leaving Elizabeth City early, around 7:00 a.m. to make the 11:00 a.m. opening of the southern end lock at South Mills, to the Dismal Swamp, we passed through the Pasquotank River, a long winding beautiful river full of vegetation and greenery on both sides. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pasquotank River | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
We made our way through the river up to the southern entrance of the Dismal Swamp, the South Mills Lock. The Dismal Swamp Canal, which connects the Elizabeth River in Virginia and the Pasquotank River in North Carolina, is the oldest continually operating canal in the U.S. It runs 22 miles long and operates with a lock system. A lock system is operated on the basis of allowing boaters to enter a designated area on the waterway, and then filling the chamber with water or lowering the chamber's water level to meet the other side's water level. Once the water level meets that which the boater is entering on the other side, the lock tender opens the gates and the boats exit. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lock System | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
We were through the South Mills Lock by noon and began the 22 mile trip through the Dismal Swamp. About five miles into the Swamp we came upon the visitors center that had docks on which to tie up. We decided to stop for the evening to rest and enjoy the park at the visitors center. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Visitors' Center | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
We got an early start on Sunday morning leaving at 7:00 a.m. to insure we would make the 11:00 a.m. lock opening on the other end at the Deep Creek Lock, the northern entrance to the swamp. We discovered from our first leg of the swamp that we could travel at only 4 to 4.5 miles per hour due to the debris in the canal and the winding pattern. The Dismal Swamp is beautiful and certainly worth the trip. Although it was slow going and we hit a big underwater stump, (no damage thankfully). The depths reported to be 6 to 9 feet throughout, tend to run more shallow than that, giving us some hair raising stressful moments. All in all, it was a beautiful trip, with scenery including wild azalea bushes, turtles, lush green forests, and much more. |
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Dismal Swamp Photos | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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