Blue Ridge Parkway | JAMES RIVER CANAL TRAIL (MP 63.6)

Battery Creek Canal lock on the James River and Kanawha Canal in Virginia

Battery Creek Canal lock on the James River and Kanawha Canal in Virginia

The James River and Kanawha Canal was intended to connect coastal Virginia to the Ohio River. Construction began in 1785, with George Washington as the “honorary president” of the canal company in charge of the project. Washington had been pushing for an east to west transportation system and had long ago suggested using the James River. By 1840, the canal had made it 196 miles from Richmond to Lynchburg, which is 22 miles downstream from the James River Visitor Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It eventually ran another 30 miles to Buchanan, Virginia, but in 1851, only half completed, construction was halted. As was the fate of many canals, they took so long to dig that railroad technology made them obsolete. The James River and Kanawha Canal continued to operate until 1878 when it was sold to the Richmond and Allegheny Railroad, which laid track over the canal towpath.

James River Canal Trail

Length: .4 mile, round trip
Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: easy trail, though there are stairs leading on and off a bridge

For those interested in history, a short hike along the James River Canal Trail to Battery Creek Lock, which was once used on the James River and Kanawha Canal, is highly recommended. The walk starts at the James River Visitor Center. Exit out of the building and proceed down the sidewalk towards the pedestrian bridge over the James River. Here you will find the start of both the canal hike and the Trail of the Trees nature trail. If the nature trail strikes your fancy, combine both hikes into one .8-mile trek. However, this review is only of the James River Canal Trail.

Take the pedestrian bridge over the James River. A stop halfway across provides an excellent view of the river. If you’d like another, slightly different view of the river, be sure to hike the Trail of the Trees.

Pedestrian bridge over the James River at the James River Visitor Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Pedestrian bridge over the James River at the James River Visitor Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway

View of the James River from the pedestrian bridge at the James River Visitor Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway

View of the James River from the pedestrian bridge at the James River Visitor Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway

At the end of the bridge is a set of stairs that leads down to the trail. For those who have trouble climbing stairs, this is the only difficult part of the hike. From here on out to the canal, the five-minute walk is along a perfectly flat trail.

Trail to the Battery Creek Lock on the James River and Kanawha Canal in Virginia

Trail to the Battery Creek Lock on the James River and Kanawha Canal in Virginia

Wayside exhibits tell about the history of the Battery Creek Lock, which was built in 1848 and remained in use until the canal was closed in the late 1870s. Locks, or lift locks, are located along sections of a canal where the terrain is uneven, allowing boats to move up or down a hill as if on an elevator. Locks were just wide enough for the canal boats, all of which had to be built to certain specifications in order to work on any given canal.

Batter Creek Lock on the James River and Kanawha Canal in Virginia

Batter Creek Lock on the James River and Kanawha Canal in Virginia

A boat coming from downstream must be lifted to higher terrain, so it would enter a lock chamber at the lower level of the canal. Once inside, both the upstream and downstream lock doors are closed. The downstream doors keep water from escaping downstream, thus essentially forming a dam. The sluice gates at bottom of the upstream doors are opened to allow water to rush in. Not being able to escape, the water level rises, and so does the boat. Once the water level in the lock chamber is equal to the upstream water level, the upstream doors are opened and the boat proceeds on its journey.

To move from higher to lower terrain, the process is repeated in somewhat of a reverse method. A boat coming from upstream enters an already flooded lock chamber (the downstream doors are closed). The sluice gates on the downstream doors are opened to let the water slowly escape, causing the boat to lower. When the water level in the lock chamber is equal with the downstream water level, the downstream doors are opened and the boat continues on its way. Just picture letting water in and out of your bathtub while your favorite rubber ducky floats on top.

Wayside exhibit on how a canal lock works

Wayside exhibit on how a canal lock works

When the canal was in operation, there most likely would have been a house here, called the “lock house,” where the lockkeeper and his family lived. His job was to operate the lock, and he usually worked on a yearly contract basis (lockkeepers were almost always men with families). If a lock house once stood at the location, it is no longer in existence.

The James River Canal Trail is one-way, so when done reading the information, return back to the Visitor Center the way you came. Round trip travel time, including time to read the information panels, is roughly 20 minutes.

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Last updated on November 20, 2023
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