Roanoke Canal Museum & Trail, Roanoke Rapids

About Roanoke Canal Museum & Trail

The Roanoke Canal Museum & Trail in Roanoke Rapids preserves nearly 200 years of regional history along a 7.2-mile walking and cycling route. The museum holds exhibits about the engineering feats of the canal, its role in early transportation and trade, and its conversion to hydroelectric power through two operational powerhouses. Visitors walk or cycle the original towpath between Roanoke Lake and Weldon, passing intact sections of the 39-foot-wide channel, 10-foot-wide tow path, an original aqueduct, and stone culverts. The wooded trail serves as a site on the North Carolina Coastal Plains Birding Trail, where visitors observe Bald Eagles, Osprey, Hawks, Pileated Woodpeckers, Great Blue Herons, and seasonal species including Cerulean Warblers. The western trailhead is at Roanoke Rapids Lake Day Use Park and the eastern trailhead at River Falls Park in Weldon.