"Creek to Lock to Bridge" Deep Creek by grandmaR

Deep Creek on our trip by car

We've been to Deep Creek once by car and three times by boat. It is a small community on the edge of the city of Chesapeake which is on US 17 south of Norfolk, and at the head of the Dismal Swamp Canal.

To get to the canal, a cruising boat will turn off the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River after they go under the Gilmerton bridge (US 13 bridge) and the high I-64 bridge and go up Deep Creek to the lock.

The other route (Virginia Cut) that is taken by larger boats, deeper draft boats, tugs, barges, and most power boats goes on down and through the lock in Great Bridge.

Deep Creek bascule bridge

The lock operates 4 times a day - first to let northbound boats down to Deep Creek, and then to lift southbound boats up about 8 feet to the canal. There is a lock tender who operates both the lock and the bridge(pictured from the road) which is right after the lock. It goes up twice for each lock opening - 8 times a day.

• Pros:Rural but near the city
• In a nutshell:On a less traveled route