Dismal Swamp Canal Trail

To be honest, people on insta were telling me I was actually at the wrong location for what I was looking for. I was so excited to fit in time to go hike the dismal swamp. I've been thinking about it for a while and it fit right into my timeliness this week visiting Machicomoco and Kiptopeke State Parks. I got here and it was all paved. Bikes and pet walkers. I expected some dirt trails and pine needle tails and smelly water to brave through. Cattails or pussy willows if you prefer. Instead I got hard pavement and dogs. I did walk a little ways out. It just wasn't my thing. Cheers to the people who bike and pet walk here. If you pick up poo, put the bag in the trash. Why pick it up if you try to anonymously drop it further down the trail?

The Dismal Swamp Canal Trail offers a variety. So it deserves a 5 star for all that it offers. Start out with the great parking. It is out and back and an Easy hike. It has great mile markers so you can pace yourself or like we do sometimes just walk 3 miles stop and eat lunch and then walk 3 miles back. It's up to you. The total hike is mostly paved and it is flat all the way 9.8 mies elevation 49ft. It is hiker, dog, bike, stroller, and wheelchair friendly. And they have beautiful boat ramps available for kayaking or canoeing . They have an air pump for bikes. The views are good. Forest, wild flowers, wild life and cool river views. We brought our watercolors to do some plein air painting. Spring is the perfect time for the butterflies and really beautiful weather. We saw 5 sail boats going through the canal and 2 kayakers. They do have events . We showed up and they were having a mile run and a 5 mile. so if your concerned with crowds check the events before you head on down to hike or bike or whatever your heart desired. BUt just get out and enjoy and have fun

Love love love. A bit of a drive from Pungo but worth it. This trail is so well maintained and well-marked with mileposts for each mile (in some cases .25 and .5 miles) that it's easy to set a goal or pace and stick to it. I could see this being a great place to prep for a race. It's been recently paved and is fresh and clean with no debris on the trail at all. Fresh pavement and no issues for the entire length of 8 miles down and back. About mid-way there is a rest area with an exceedingly clean and nice restroom, some picnic tables, and a boat pier/tie-off mooring area. There are three places to park and start on the trail. We started at the first and main one with the "Chessie" the black bear statue. Plenty of parking and another restroom area located here. Very happy to have done this trail - it's a hike from VAB - but so worth it! There is mostly shade on this trail but I would bring spf and bug spray anyway. It's a canal trail so there are bugs and there are areas with direct sun.

[Coronavirus review]The trail here looks like an abandoned road, which isn't the prettiest thing, but is helpful for social distancing. It's also the rare "trail" where bikes and pedestrians can coexist because it's so wide. It runs parallel to a canal, but through thick greenery there are relatively few spots where you can even see the water. There isn't a ton of wildlife on a road, but signs warned of bears. Assuming you don't see any bears, the strength of a place like this is that it's suitable for a wide variety of ages and ability levels; just about anyone can use this straightaway surface and get some fresh air in.

I thought this was going to be an actual trail through the woods but it was only a paved road

How awesome!!! When we arrived we arrived at the perfect moment when the bridge was moving. So we got to experience that. The welcome center was closed because it was a Sunday but we were able to cross the bridge to check out some of the scenes. It looks like you could bike the trail it also look like you could take kayaks into the water and other boats. There's a lot of history to the swamp as well it was interesting reading about it on one of the placard's we saw. This is definitely an activity to do on a weekend to pass time and find things to do I highly recommend it.

This is a really cool park. It's a wonderful re-purposing of old U.S. Hwy 17. The old 2-lane highway has been turned into a hiking/biking trail. It stretches for over 16 miles, I only hiked the first three miles up and back from the northern trail head. I really enjoyed the peaceful nature walk, which at places had breathtaking, postcard-esque views of the canal. It wasn't too crowded either, even on the 85 degree Memorial Day I visited. It also wasn't swarming with flies and mosquitos, as I feared going in. There is plenty of free parking at the northern trail head, as well as a clean public restroom. There are also picnic tables and benches there, and at several places along the trail. The paved trail makes this a suitable and easy walk for any fitness level or age. It was a great experience, and I will be back again!

Amazing flat trail - great for kids to ride bikes and walk. Love the mile markers for each .25mi. Not much scenery to keep the kids engaged, but it is paved and great for a walk after a storm. Apparently also a great location for bird watching as we ran into a few looking for a rare FL bird in VA.

Nice place to get out in to nature on a well paved wide road that used to be a rail road track. Lots of folks cycling. I was surprised it wasn't even buggy. There were many beautiful butterflies on the edges of the road. Clean restroom at the parking lot.

Nice length. Great view. Lots of history signage. Plenty for of parking. Dog on leash friend. Great for bikes.