Roanoke Canal Trail

The Roanoke Canal Trail is a 7.5 mile trail following the route of the Roanoke Canal between Roanoke Rapids and Weldon. The western trailhead is at Roanoke Rapids Lake Day Use Area and the eastern trailhead is at Great Falls Park in Weldon. The Roanoke Canal was constructed in the early 19th century to facilitate navigation around Great Falls of the Roanoke. The canal, towpath and canal structures were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Today, the towpath and bottom of the canal form the trail between Roanoke Rapids and Weldon.

Map:

Trail:

Roanoke Canal Trail is a 7.5 mile trail leading from Roanoke Rapids to Weldon. The trail follows the path of the Roanoke Canal, which was constructed to navigate around Great Falls of the Roanoke. The trail is open to hiking, jogging and bicycles. The western trailhead is at Roanoke Rapids Lake Day Use Area and parking is available here. Heading eastbound, the trail passes Roanoke Canal Museum in about 1.5 miles and crosses NC-48. Past the West Rock plant, the trail continues following Roanoke River downstream. At the crossing of River Road is another parking area at about 3 miles. There are some scenic views of the river in the next stretch of trail. After passing under I-95, the trail reaches the Roanoke Rapids Wastewater Treatment plant and the Aqueduct Parking is available here. Shortly past the parking is the Chockoyotte Aqueduct, a marvel of engineering. A short detour leads to an old Confederate Cemetery a little past the aqueduct. The trail then comes out in Weldon, passing under US-301 in a tunnel and ending at River Falls Park.

Points of Interest:

Points of interest along the trail from west to east.

Rochelle Pond:

Rochelle Pond is a stormwater retention basin located 0.7 east of the trailhead.

Power Canal Bulkhead:

The Power Canal Bulkhead was build in the 1890s to generate hydroelectric power and did so until the 1950s. An overlook for the bulkhead ruins is 0.9 mile east of the trailhead.

Roanoke Canal Museum:

The Roanoke Canal Museum has exhibits on the history of the Roanoke Canal and life on the river. The museum is 1.5 miles east.

Chockoyotte Aqueduct:

Chockoyotte Aqueduct was constructed in 1824 and was one of the final structures built before the canal opened. The aqueduct routed the canal over Chockoyotte Creek. The Roanoke Canal Trail leads right over the aqueduct and there is an overlook with nice views of this engineering marvel. The aqueduct is at 6.25 miles.

Confederate Cemetery:

An old Confederate Cemetery is right off the trail near the edge of Weldon. The cemetery is 7 miles east.

Great Falls of the Roanoke:

Great Falls of the Roanoke is more of a set of rapids than a waterfall, but is rather impressive given the size of the river at this point. Avoiding these rapids was the reason for construction of the canal. The best place to view the falls is from River Falls Park at the western trailhead of the canal trail.

Blog Entries:

30-Nov-2019: Roanoke Canal Hike

External Links:

Roanoke Canal Museum and Trail website: https://www.roanokecanal.com/