LNM: Alt ICW MM 7, Long Term Deep Creek Bridge Replacement, Dismal Swamp Canal, NC
Our thanks to Sarah Hill, Director of Dismal Swamp Welcome Center, for this notice.
Click here for NTNI – Deep Creek Bridge Replacement Project
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Report from Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center, AICW Alternate Route, NC
The Great Dismal Swamp, whose alternate ICW route departs the southbound Waterway at MM 7.2 and northbound via the Pasquotank River in NE Albemarle Sound. Dismal Swamp Welcome Center is A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR! Our thanks to Sarah Hill for this report.The Dismal Swamp Canal is open to navigation & locks are operating normally. Attaching some images from the last couple days- it has been a busy spring/summer along the waterway!
Thanks,
Sarah
Sarah Hill, TMP
Director, Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome CenterChairperson, Camden County Tourism Development Authority2356 US Hwy 17 North, South Mills, NC 27976
252-771-8333 | shill@camdencountync.gov www.DismalSwampWelcomeCenter.com 
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Shades of Spring, Dismal Swamp State Park, NC, AICW Alternate Route
The Great Dismal Swamp, whose alternate ICW route departs the southbound Waterway at MM 7.2 and northbound via the Pasquotank River in NE Albemarle Sound. Dismal Swamp Welcome Center is A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR!
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Great Bridge Locks – Reduced Opening Schedule, Dismal Swamp Canal is Open
The Dismal Swamp Canal’s locks are open and accessed southbound at MM 7.2 south of Norfolk or northbound from Albemarle Sound and the Pasquatank River.
See UPDATE: NAV ALERT: LNM: AICW MM 12 Great Bridge Temporary Openings
The Dismal Swamp Canal is OPEN and locks are operating on their normal schedule.
Thanks,
Sarah
Sarah Hill, TMP
Director, Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome CenterChairperson, Camden County Tourism Development Authority2356 US Hwy 17 North, South Mills, NC 27976252-771-8333 | shill@camdencountync.gov www.DismalSwampWelcomeCenter.com 
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window Zoomed To the Location of South Mills Lock
Click Here To View the North Carolina Cruisers Net Bridge Directory Listing For South Mills Lock
Click Here To View the VA to NC Cruisers Net Marina Directory Listing For Deep Creek Lock
Click Here To Open A Chart View Window Zoomed To the Location of Deep Creek Lock
Comments from Cruisers (1)
- Reply to Clarke
We transited the Dismal Swamp Canal northbound May 16 and 17. Saw one boat and hecwas tied up at Rest Center headed south. Canal is great place for photography. My wife was a happy camper taking lots of photos. Lockmasters at both ends were helpful and friendly. Locks easy to transition. Hardly any turbulence atvall. Rest Center on VA NC border convenient stop overnight if you need one. Well maintained. Space for three or four boats. Bathrooms and water available. I never heard road traffic at night. We have a 5’ draft. We clunked 4 or 5 times in the 22 mile canal. Probably sunken logs/branches bseveral felled trees along the way. No issue. Lots of high trees with overhanging branches. We tried to avoid them but one broke off wind vane at top of the mast. All in all, I liked no traffic, beautiful photography, easy overnight. Overhanging trees are a problem for sailboats.
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‘Morass’ no more: Great Dismal could get new designation by Catherine Kozak
The Great Dismal Swamp, whose alternate ICW route departs the southbound Waterway at MM 7.2, is currently being considered for designation as a National Heritage Area. Dismal Swamp Welcome Center is A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR!
Paddlers take to the water in the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Photo: USFWS
Click here for ‘Morass’ no more: Great Dismal could get new designation
by Catherine Kozak, CoastalReview.orgBe the first to comment!
Dismal Swamp State Park Reopened, AICW Alternate Route
The State Park, adjacent to the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center, has completed maintenance work and is open to the public. The Dismal Swamp Canal Route departs the southbound Waterway at MM 7.2 and the northbound Waterway via the Pasquatank River. Our thanks to Sarah Hill for this report from Dismal Swamp Welcome Center, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR!
Greetings!
Our friends and neighbors at the Dismal Swamp State Park have reopened to visitors. They have resumed their normal operating hours, which can be found on their website https://www.ncparks.gov/dismal-swamp-state-park/home . For additional information please contact the park staff at 252-771-6593.
Many thanks,
Sarah
Sarah Hill, TMP
Director, Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome CenterChairperson, Camden County Tourism Development Authority
2356 US Hwy 17 North, South Mills, NC 27976
252-771-8333 | shill@camdencountync.gov www.DismalSwampWelcomeCenter.com Be the first to comment!
May 7th- Dismal Swamp Canal- Paddle for the Border, AICW Alternate Route
The Dismal Swamp Route departs the southbound Waterway at MM 7.2. Your southbound alternate is the Virginia Cut through Great Bridge, VA. Our thanks to Sarah Hill for this report from Dismal Swamp Welcome Center, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR!
To our Boating Community:
The 17th annual Paddle for the Border event will be held on Saturday, May 7th, beginning near mm28 at the Dismal Swamp State Park paddle launch on the historic Dismal Swamp Canal. We will host about 375 canoes and kayaks launching approximately 8:30am and travel 7.5 miles north to the Ballahack Boat Ramp, in Chesapeake, VA. This event encourages recognition of the historical waterway and its importance to our area. The Dismal Swamp State Park, City of Chesapeake Parks, Rec and Tourism, Camden County, Dismal Swamp Welcome Center, and USACE all collaborate to promote this shared asset between two states.
We love our boaters and know this can be an inconvenience in their attempt to travel the waterway, but this event occurs for a few hours once a year. We’d like to suggest a compromise. Our set up starts early in the morning with traffic crossing the State Park pedestrian bridge for preparations, breakfast and registration at around 6:30am. If you are tied up at the Welcome Center dock, we invite you to join us for a light breakfast at 7:30am and enjoy the view. The launch will begin and paddlers will have cleared out of MM 28 location by 10:30am, heading north. Paddlers have usually made their destination at Ballahack Road by 1 pm.
We want this experience to be enjoyable for all of our waterway travelers. Pulling out early from our dock will also lead you on your way, without any encounters with paddlers. If you are staying at our Welcome Center dock the evening before, we will remind you of the upcoming events in the morning, to assist in your choices.
I hope this message will provide the ability to plan a great day on the Dismal Swamp Canal for all of our guests, paddlers and boaters, alike. On behalf of the Paddle for the Border Committee, thank you for sharing this with your boating partners and please let us know if you have any questions.
Many thanks,
Sarah Hill, TMP
Director, Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome CenterChairperson, Camden County Tourism Development Authority
2356 US Hwy 17 North, South Mills, NC 27976
252-771-8333 | shill@camdencountync.gov www.DismalSwampWelcomeCenter.com Be the first to comment!
Visit Camden Heritage Museum and Historic Jail, Camden, NC
Camden County is home to the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR, located adjacent to the Dismal Swamp State Park, offering trails, exhibits and ongoing programs in Camden County, NC. Docks are provided by the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center, a NC DOT Rest Area facility. Camden Heritage Museum is approximately 30 minutes by car in Camden, NC
Now open Saturdays, 10am to 3pm . Sunday through Friday are by appointment only.
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Great Dismal Swamp Canal Passage Report by Joshua Gordan
The Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center is located adjacent to the Dismal Swamp State Park, offering trails, exhibits and ongoing programs in Camden County, NC. Docks are provided by the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR and a NC DOT Rest Area facility. See Fall Update.
Greetings,
Winston Fowler has asked me to send some photos and comments on my transit of the swamp on my cape dory 28.I entered Deep ck lock yesterday10/12… stopped at the visitor center, and passed through to Elizabeth city today.People have a concern about duckweed… right now, there is very little until you get a mile or so from south mills. There, It is moderate, not really fully covering the canal. After south mills, it is relatively full, for about a mile past turners cut .. where it clears up altogether. I have included some photos… And also of my sea strainer , which I did not clean the entire way, so this is the total accumulation.Other impressions;Robert will be missed at Deep Creek, but the young man who is tending now is cheerful, and engaged. He called a few times, explained the process, and was happy to be there. This contrasts the older guy at south mills, who lifted the bridge without warning me ( I was still anchored) , and so the bridge we as open for a bit longer that it needed to be… Once in the lock, he drove to the far end and let the water out… The gates opened, but of course I could not tell if he was on his way back to toss lines… I set myself free, and motored out. He was still in the lock shack… Good thing I didn’t wait for him! Just a few words would make his and other’s days go better.I think that the side and overhead brush is pretty ragged, and encroaches on the navigation. There is one spot that required snaking my 42′ mast between trees on opposite banks. There are three large floaters along the way that could do some real damage The big transit season is coming up, and it’s too bad it is in this shape. Most of the side waterway signs are damaged or overgrown.Still, it is a beautiful trip, and a resource that VA and NC should take care of.Thank you for all you do for us boaters!Sincerely,Joshua Gordon. S/V WayfinderUscg 100 ton master
Comments from Cruisers (1)
- Reply to Robert
I agree with the comments above, It is no big deal to transit the DSC and you must remain on your toes both overhead and in the mirrored waters ahead of you. I still prefer this route in our 40' Manta Catamaran. However, with a 65' air draft and a relief at the helm, we cleaded the top of the mast of $500 worth of hardware with an overhanging tree that was overlooked.
Still a beautiful trip that we will make again.
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Fall Update from Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center Director, Sarah Hill
The Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center is located adjacent to the Dismal Swamp State Park, offering trails, exhibits and ongoing programs in Camden County, NC. Docks are provided by the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR and a NC DOT Rest Area facility. See September 16 Update.
Greetings,
Hope you had a great weekend! We are starting to see an uptick in boating traffic along the canal as well as the beginning of some fall colors appearing. Boaters have reported some patches of duckweed near the South Mills drawbridge and lock, but at this time no major issues. We’ll keep you updated if something changes. Our neighbors at the Dismal Swamp State Park remain closed to visitors due to construction. The park’s pedestrian bridge was removed from the water last week to be worked on.
Canal is open to traffic with locks operating on their normal schedule. We look forward to great fall season and appreciate everything you do to keep boaters updated & ready to cruise the Dismal Swamp Canal!
Please let us know if you have any questions or we can assist in anyway.
Many thanks,
Sarah
Sarah Hill
Director, Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome CenterChairperson, Camden County Tourism Development Authority
2356 US Hwy 17 North, South Mills, NC 27976
252-771-8333 | shill@camdencountync.gov www.DismalSwampWelcomeCenter.com 
Comments from Cruisers (1)
- Reply to Jim
To all East Coast Boaters – this passage is a must. History, primitive beauty, and welcoming layovers are not to be missed. And this welcome center has the nicest people I have ever met. Get a sticker for you car or boat and a cap for your noggin!
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Good Words for Lock Crews and Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center, AICW Alternate Route
The Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center is located adjacent to the Dismal Swamp State Park, offering trails, exhibits and ongoing programs in Camden County, NC. Docks are provided by the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR and a NC DOT Rest Area facility. See Sept 16 Update and Dismal Swamp Canal Closed. Our thanks to James Newsome for these kind words. See In Memorium Robert Peek.
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Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center and Camden County TDA Win Telly Award
The Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center is located adjacent to the Dismal Swamp State Park, offering trails, exhibits and ongoing programs in Camden County, NC. Docks are provided by the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR and a NC DOT Rest Area facility. Congratulations to Sarah Hill and her staff for this well deserved award!
Click here for Camden TDA- Telly Award 2021
Camden County TDA and Mike Martine, with Eye Candy Digital Video, won a 2021 Bronze Telly Award in Online Commercials: Campaign-Branding for our “Wide Open Spaces” promotional video created last fall utilizing NC Recovery Grant funds procured through Visit NC. This was one of five videos created with Eye Candy Digital Video, promoting mental and physical wellbeing through Outdoor Recreation.
The Telly Awards honors excellence in video and television across all screens and is judged by leaders from video platforms, television, streaming networks, production companies like Netflix, Dow Jones, Hearst Media, ESPN Films, and Vimeo. Last year, the awards attracted more than 12,000 entries from top video content producers including Adobe, the BBC, PBS, and The Walt Disney Company.
We invite you to visit the Camden County tourism website at www.VisitCamdenCountyNC.com to view the video and learn more about our beautiful wide-open spaces, outdoor recreational opportunities and local businesses.
We are so excited to share the great news with everyone! Thank you all!
Sarah
Sarah Hill
Director, Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome CenterChairperson, Camden County Tourism Development Authority
2356 US Hwy 17 North, South Mills, NC 27976
252-771-8333 | shill@camdencountync.gov www.DismalSwampWelcomeCenter.com Be the first to comment!
Photos from Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center, AICW Alternate Route
The Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center is located adjacent to the Dismal Swamp State Park, offering trails, exhibits and ongoing programs in Camden County, NC. Docks are provided by the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR and a NC DOT Rest Area facility. Our thanks to Director Sarah Hill for these photos. See also Spring Conditions.
Greetings!
It’s a beautiful spring day at the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center! We couldn’t resist sharing a few images from a Friday afternoon at the swamp, with north & south bound boaters cruising through.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Sara
&
Sarah Hill
Director, Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome CenterChairperson, Camden County Tourism Development Authority
2356 US Hwy 17 North, South Mills, NC 27976
252-771-8333 | shill@camdencountync.gov www.DismalSwampWelcomeCenter.com Be the first to comment!
Great Dismal Swamp an Irreplaceable Hub of Black and Indigenous history
The Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center is located adjacent to the Dismal Swamp State Park, offering trails, exhibits and ongoing programs in Camden County, NC. Docks are provided by the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR and a NC DOT Rest Area facility. See also National Heritage.
Andrew Woods
Great Dismal Swamp an irreplaceable hub of Black and Indigenous history
The Wilderness SocietyBe the first to comment!
Great Dismal Swamp Should be a National Heritage Area
Designating the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia and North Carolina a National Heritage Area is a great and timely idea. The Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center is located adjacent to the Dismal Swamp State Park, offering trails, exhibits and ongoing programs in Camden County, NC. Docks are provided by the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR and a NC DOT Rest Area facility.
A couple takes a long walk along the main road leading into the Great Dismal Swamp on Wednesday, December 2, 2020. (Stephen M. Katz/The Virginian-Pilot)
Editorial: Designate Great Dismal Swamp a National Heritage Area
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Great Dismal Swamp – The Life of a Lockmaster by Kathy Bohanan Enzerink
Until his recent untimely death, Robert Peek served as Lockmaster of Deep Creek Lock on the Dismal Swamp Canal for 24 years. See In Memorium Robert Peek. Our thanks to Donna Steward, Director of Dismal Swamp Welcome Center and longtime friend, for sharing this 2012 Facebook article on a typical day in Robert’s life.
Great Dismal Swamp – The Life of a Lockmaster
Kathy Bohanan Enzerink1 Facebook Likes, 1 Facebook Reactions
Comments from Cruisers (1)
- Reply to Jean
It was a very nice person we enjoyed this lock and it is parts of our best lock souvenir. Rest in peace
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Death of a Legend – In Memorium Robert Peek
The stories of Robert Peek’s “customer relations” are indeed legendary throughout the cruising community. Here is a man who loved his job and did not hesitate to share that love with boaters locking through Deep Creek Lock. Our thanks to Donna Stewart of Dismal Swamp Welcome Center for this notice and to Kim Russo of AGLCA for sharing Robert’s obituary.
Our hearts are heavy, as we mourn the loss of our dear friend and colleague, Deep Creek Lockmaster Robert Peek. Please keep his beloved wife Jackie and family, friends and co-workers in your thoughts in this time of loss. No one will ever fill his shoes.
Robert of Deep Creek Lock squeezed 18 boats in the lock yesterday – we were like sardines in a can. I found the whole thing quite hilarious! Arnold Parkinson
Robert smiling.
Robert getting ready to play his conch shell, for which he was famous. Phil and Karen Barbalace
Robert Leslie Peek Obituary
Sturtevant Funderal HomeComments from Cruisers (4)
- Reply to Mike
If you met Robert once, you were a friend. For life. We met, chatted with and were invited to breakfast several times. He was generous with his time, his knowledge and, of course, coffee and danish. Because of storms, dredging and lock repairs we were unable to take the Dismal for couple of years. We were looking forward to seeing Robert this year. Shocked and saddened by this news. It is a terrible loss for the entire boating/cruising community. Our best wishes and condolences to Jackie and his entire family.
Mike and Carol
Improbability
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Good News: Dismal Swamp Welcome Center Reports NO DUCK WEED!
For cruisers wanting to explore the AICW Scenic Route, no duck weed is good news! Floating duck weed masses, which can clog engine cooling, are the result of a normal small petal plant, which because of heat, nutrients, and no exposure to brackish water, will often proliferate. The Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center is located adjacent to the Dismal Swamp State Park, offering trails, exhibits and ongoing programs in Camden County, NC. Docks are provided by the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR and a NC DOT Rest Area facility.
Dismal Swamp Welcome Center reports NO duck weed in the Dismal Swamp Canal.
Donna Stewart
Director
Duck weed floats in years past
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NC Coastal Communities Adjust Restrictions
North Carolina State Parks announced this week that trails and restrooms at its parks statewide will open Saturday, including Carolina Beach State Park, Click Here To View the North Carolina Cruisers Net’s Marina Directory Listing For the Camden TDA/Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center“>Dismal Swamp State Park, Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, Fort Macon State Park, Goose Creek State Park, Hammocks Beach State Park, Jockey’s Ridge State Park and Pettigrew State Park. This is good news for cruisers wanting to experience the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR!
Coastal Communities Adjust Restrictions
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Good Words for Dismal Swamp Welcome Center, AICW Alternate Route
Having just re-opened following a three month maintenance closure and now partially closed due to COVID-19, the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center is located adjacent to the Dismal Swamp State Park, offering trails, exhibits and ongoing programs in Camden County, NC. Docks are provided by the Dismal Swamp Canal Welcome Center, A CRUISERS NET SPONSOR and a NC DOT Rest Area facility. Southbound, the Dismal Swamp Canal departs the VA Waterway at statute mile 7.2 and northbound off Albemarle Sound northeast up the Pasquatank River , NC. Our thanks to Randall Peterson for these kind words as posting on AGLCA’s Forum.
John is right on about rafting. It’s a time honored tradition to allow one or two rows to raft at the end of the day, since there isn’t much else around for overnighting. Great pet friendly stop also. This particular NC welcome center is the only one in the US that I’m aware of that services both land vehicles and boats at the same place. Staff inside (if open during Covid19) are super nice. We’ve stopped here dozens of times albeit more by car than boat, and always clean.
Ben Sanderson
M/V ‘Last Chance’
44′ Valor Marine1 Facebook Likes, 1 Facebook Reactions
Comments from Cruisers (1)
- Reply to Donna
Ben,
Thank you for the kind words. Staff is in the building, able to answer questions by phone and provide resources, but our Center is closed to the public at this time. Rest Area and Rest Rooms are open, as well as the paved DSC Trail, 3 miles in length. We hope you will join us again, and we'll be able to open our doors when safe. The dock is available and we have had light traffic. Wishing you health and safety.
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