Waterfall Hero Hikes: Dismal Swamp State Park

Dismal Swamp is a 14,000-acre North Carolina State Park in Camden County, protecting part of the Great Dismal Swamp. Once covering more than a million acres in Virginia and North Carolina, the state park and adjacent National Wildlife Refuge protect what's left of the swamp. George Washington formed the Dismal Swamp Company in 1763 in an attempt to drain the swamp and harvest timber. The Dismal Swamp Canal, built in 1805, was constructed to carry timber out of the swamp. In 1974, the Nature Conservancy transferred 14,000 acres to the state of North Carolina to become Dismal Swamp State Natural Area. Being landlocked on three sides with no roads and the canal on the other, public access was very limited. In 2008, a hydraulic bridge was installed over the canal and Dismal Swamp State Park opened to the public. There are more than 20 miles of old fire roads that are open to hiking and bicycles and the park provides boat access to the canal.

Contact Information:

2294 US 17 North
South Mills, NC 27976

Phone: (252) 771-6593
Email: dismal.swamp@ncparks.gov
GPS: 36.50570,-76.35510

Directions:

The park is located in Camden County along US-17 south of the Virginia state line. From Elizabeth City, head north on US-17 for about 19 miles and turn left at McPherson Road into the Rest Area. Drive around the rest area to the parking lot for the state park. The park is accessed across the floating bridge.

Map:

Trails:

There are over 20 miles of trails in the park.

Bull Boulevard:

Length: 2.25 miles (one way)

Blaze: None

Difficulty: Easy

Bull Boulevard starts from the south end of Forest Line Road and follows its namesake ditch through the heart of the swamp. Keep in mind the trail starts almost 9 miles one way from the visitor center, so this makes for a very long hike.

Canal Road:

Length: 2.2 miles (one way)

Blaze: Brown CR markers every half mile

Difficulty: Easy

Canal Road starts at the Visitor Center and leads north along the canal. It provides access to Kim Saunders Road and the other trails that lead deep into the swamp.

Corapeake Road:

Length: 4.8 miles (one way)

Blaze: None

Difficulty: Easy

Corapeake Road runs along the northern boundary of the park just south of the Virginia state line. It is named for the Gates County community of Corapeake to the west. It connects S. Martha Washington Trail to Forest Line Road.

Forest Line Road:

Length: 2.3 miles (one way)

Blaze: None

Difficulty: Easy

Forest Line Road runs along the park's western boundary and follows one of the older ditches in the park, dating to the 19th century. It connects Corapeake Road and Kim Saunders Road and provides access to Bull Boulevard. Keep in mind the closest access is 7.5 miles one way from the visitor center.

Kim Saunders Road:

Length: 5.4 miles (one way)

Blaze: Brown KS markers every mile

Difficulty: Easy

Kim Saunders Road is named for a logger from the area and dates to the 1960s. It runs across the park east to west and provides access from Canal Road to the other trails in the park.

Laurel Trail:

Length: 1 mile (one way)

Blaze: None

Difficulty: Easy

Laurel Trail connects Kim Saunders Road and Corapeake Road about 2 miles west of S. Martha Washington Trail. The trail is named for laurel that grows in the swamp.

S. Martha Washington Trail:

Length: 1.2 miles (one way)

Blaze: None

Difficulty: Easy

S. Martha Washington starts from Kim Saunders Road just west of Canal Road and follows its namesake ditch up to Weirs 1 & 2, water control structures.

Supple-Jack Trail:

Length: 0.5 miles (one way)

Blaze: Blue Triangles

Difficulty: Easy

Supple-Jack Trail runs through the woods roughly parallel to Canal Road. A spur leads out to Canal Road at the Liquor Still Replica and ends at the Lighter Boat Display.

Swamp Boardwalk:

Length: 0.5 miles (loop)

Blaze: Blue Circle

Difficulty: Easy

Swamp Boardwalk is a half-mile figure-8 loop. This is the park's Track Trail. Starting from behind the visitor center, the boardwalk makes a double loop through the Great Dismal Swamp.

Western Boundary Trail:

Length: 1 mile (one way)

Blaze: None

Difficulty: Easy

Western Boundary Trail runs along what was the western boundary of property owned by the logging companies that built the road and ditch, though it is not the western boundary of the park.

Points of Interest:

2011 Fire Scar:

In 2011, a lightning strike ignited a wildfire that burned for over 100 days. The fire scar can be seen in the northwest corner of the park at the intersection of Forest Line Road and Corapeake Road. The open area is in contrast to the thick forest in most of the rest of the park.

Lighter Boat Display:

Flat-bottom barges, known as lighter boats, were used to move shingle flats and other forest products out of the swamp and to market. An example lighter boat is along Canal Road near the northern intersection with Supple-Jack Trail.

Liquor Still Replica:

The secluded nature of Great Dismal Swamp made it a good place to manufacture illegal moonshine. A replica still is found along Canal Road less than a half-mile from the visitor center.

Weirs 1 & 2:

There are two weirs in the northeast corner of the park that act as water control structures, maintaining water in the swamp that would otherwise drain through the man-made ditches. The weirs are along S. Martha Washington Trail.