Dismal Swamp Canal Trail

I’m not crazy about the dismal swamp canal trail. Much like the rest of Chesapeake, it’s a snooze fest. It’s not even really a trail, it’s completely paved. Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea. There’s not much to look at, though. After the first mile, it becomes pretty redundant. All of that being said, if you’re looking for a quiet, safe place to take your family out for a walk or a bike ride, go for it. There are warning signs about bears all over the place. Had I run into one, this might be a very different review. Bring your bug spray. The mosquitos are quite frisky.

A lovely place to go for a run, bike ride, or even a romantic walk. The one bad thing is the yellow flys. But it’s natures so that’s just part of the elements. Just being bug spray.

The kids and I went out there this morning and rode our bike until noon. We mostly saw bicyclists of all levels from street bikes to cruisers like we had. The trail was clearly marked and paved throughout. There were some runners and walkers, but we didn’t see any horseback riders though they are allowed on the trail as well. The trail is wide enough for passing safely if you are riding at a high rate of speed. Even though it was hot and humid the tree canopy provided plenty of shade to make it cool and breezy on the trail. If you are looking for a nature hike with paths through the woods then this may not be the trail for you as I didn’t observe any unpaved hiking trails. We had a great leisurely ride and plan to come back often.

Great place for dedicated runners and cyclists that either require or desire reliable distance markers for training.
Trail: The 12mi shaded paved trail is essentially a straight shot from one end to the other. ¼ mi markers identify your distance each way of travel. It’s also plenty wide (two car lanes) to allow for multiple park goers on the trail.
Amenities: If you’re not a dedicated athlete no worries there’s plenty of picnic stops along the canal with a at least one small pier. Restrooms are at the beginning of the trail, near the 3 mi maker and a couple other portapotties as well.
Overall: I’d like to give it 5 Stars but without any turns or side trails I can’t go past 4. Even so I’ll continue to frequent this place a couple times a week as its great for getting a solid understanding on my run/​cycle distance-​time.

I bike here from my house on the bike path down 17. I am very happy that they have put in restroom facilities. Although I often go by myself, there is hardly ever a crowd down this trail so it can get a little creepy by yourself. There is often park rangers patrolling to make sure that everyone is alright. There are trail markers every quarter mile. Keep in mind that just past the 6 mile marker there is a boat ramp and vehicles DO have access to that part of the road so keep a look out!

As I am now a few days past wanting to tear my quadriceps from my body, I can now write about how awesome this trail is. We came here Sunday around 4pm and there weren’t many people at all. The parking lot is a good size and there is plenty of parking for your horse trailer… should you want to bring your horses. I don’t have any… just a small army of kids.
Like Allison L. said, the route is 8.5 miles long of an old section of VA SR.17. The entire 8.5. miles is paved. There are restroom facilities being constructed at the beginning and midpoint-​ish but are still not opened (they’re supposed to open spring ’14). The trail runs along the canal, which is visible during parts of the trail. Other times, it’s hard to see through the vegetation. We did see a bear one our way back (which by this point was close to 7pm), which got scared once we made a lot of noise and ran back into the woods. There are plenty of signs along the trail letting you know what to do if you encounter a bear since the Dismal Swamp has the highest concentration of black bears in the state. There are also signs letting you know what type of wildlife you can expect to see. In addition to the bear, I saw a river otter… which, in no way, trumps a bear sighting.
This trail was relatively easy. Our two elementary school-​aged kids biked the whole 17 miles while the toddler rode in the bike trailer. I’ve be more sedentary than I care to admit and the trail was very easy for me. However, during the night with two muscle relaxers writhing in pain… I was reminded how you should not expose atrophied muscles to crazy an almost-​20 mile long bicycle jaunt. But, I’m ready to go again. The heady fragrance of honeysuckles and lilacs just enriched an already wonderful experience. Another bonus would be kayaking/​canoeing in the canal… which we did see a pair doing.
This is probably my second favorite biking experience with the first being the 15mile trek at Shark Valley in the Everglades (the wildlife and views are insane… c’mon, it’s the Everglades). However, this is a new family favorite… relatively easy, quiet, peaceful, and just awesome to reconnect with family/​yourself/​nature.

I am unsure why skateboards are not allowed, their reasons for this seem a bit far fetched. I mean falling off and hitting a child or spooking a horse? really! Well in the near future I plan to go down there one weekday late morning and skateboard on my longboard and see what happens. I am pretty sure no body will be on the trail and unless there are some mean looking rangers lurking about I plan on giving it a go!
PART 2, 09÷17÷13
I skateboarded the trail on my electric skateboard with no problems. There were some workers on the trail and they were very cool and just asked about the electric board. Sounded like they assumed it was ok to skate the trail. I only saw 4 bikers who just said hello in passing, I did see a large black bear who crossed the path about 50 yards ahead of me. He just ambled off the road never looked in my direction.

What a great place to jog or ride a bike. If you hit the early-​mid morning hours or mid-​late afternoon you are guaranteed shade. Nice flat surface and plenty of stops along the way to relax and enjoy the Dismal Swamp. Sounds like an oxymoron I know. The trail runs along the inter-​coastal waterway so you can relax and enjoy boats passing by if you hit it right.
There are lots of improvements that are currently underway that will give this trail a bright future (bathrooms & water fountains. Can I get an Amen!).
The 8 mile trail with three locations from which to start is great for running or biking. Make it a circuit and you’ve got a 16 mile stretch. The trail is made from an old road which allows a lot of room. I pulled a kid trailer behind me and never worried about taking too much space.
It can be a bit creepy if you’re by yourself jogging, so I’d make sure you go early enough to be with the largest crowd.
All in all, this is a great place to train, or take the kids. Plan a picnic at one of the many bench or picnic table stops they have along the way!

If you’re training to do a Tri, Dismal Swamp Canal trail is a great place to do your Run/​Ride bricks! Everything is paved and it’s nice and quiet. The road is in good solid repair, very few pot holes (truthfully it’s better than a lot of roads I’ve been on).
There is quite a bit of construction going on now, they’re actually removing the single kinda gross porta-​potty and replacing it with proper facilities!
Full path is 8.1 miles in each direction for a total ride of 16. Plenty of parking!

Can’t they think of a happier name for this place? It’s beautiful even in the frigid cold. It’s serene and deceivingly calm, but at a closer look you can see a strong undercurrent. There’s a cute, short trail along the canal, outside the parking lot (without traversing the bridge) that run along the side and showcases the old logging engine that used to drag the trees out of the forest. At the end of the trail is a geocache where you can sign into their little book and leave a comment. There’s also a little cash for those in need that you can contribute to. Cute adorable idea.

We drove out here to go hiking with the kids and dog without really knowing too much about it. The City of Chesapeake website says, «The Dismal Swamp Canal Trail is a former section of Virginia State Rt. 17, now a multiuse trail open to bicycling, walking, running, horseback riding, and boating. The north trailhead is located at the intersection of Dominion Blvd and Old Rt 17 in Chesapeake, VA, and runs south 8.5 miles, adjacent to the Dismal Swamp Canal.»
It is much better for biking or roller blading than hiking as it is all just a paved road. There are no off-​road trails. There are tons of signs warning you that you may encounter bears. We didn’t see any. We were there on a Friday afternoon and only saw one other couple walking the trail and probably eight or so cyclists. We let our dog run off the leash because she is incredibly obedient and there weren’t really any people around to complain. She never wandered off into the trees, but she still managed to pick up some ticks while we were there. She had them between her toes, on the inside of her hind leg, and on her neck, so if you take your dog there be sure to check thoroughly for ticks when you leave. None of us found any ticks on ourselves, thankfully. There are a couple picnic tables along the canal where you can stop and rest if need be. It is incredibly quiet. We didn’t notice very much wildlife, which I thought was strange. No birds or squirrels. I think the only animals I saw were a dead mouse in the road and a snake in the water. It’s really not too terribly exciting, unless you run into a bear maybe, but it would be a really great place to go for a bike ride with your family.