This man-made canal, a National Historic Civil Engineering landmark, is the widest sea-level canal (without locks) in the world. The Cape Cod Canal is 17.4-miles long, 32-feet deep, and depending on location, it is between 500 and 700-feet wide. It was built to create more efficient nautical trade routes. Vessel passage through the Canal is safer than having to maneuver around the dangerous shoals and unpredictable currents surrounding the Outer Cape, and saves ships more than 160 miles of travel, instead of having to navigate around the tip of Cape Cod. We invite you to learn a bit more about this man-made wonder below, or check out our Cape Cod Canal Cruise to experience it for yourself!

Cape Cod Canal Map

Cape Cod Canal History

The Cape Cod Canal was opened in July 1914, after 5 years of construction. In 1928, the United States Army Corps of Engineers took over the operation of the Cape Cod Canal thanks to the authority of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1927.  The canal would be improved, widened, and deepened.  The biggest improvements would come, however, through the construction of entirely new bridges.  The new Bourne and Sagamore bridges would be fixed structures rather than drawbridges. These bridges were built simultaneously and opened in 1935. Fast forward to today, in 2020, a decision was made to build two new bridges built to the modern-day standard, to ensure safe access to and from the Cape to the traveling public. This project will take many years, starting in 2025. 

Cape Cod Canal Currents

If you are looking to navigate the Cape Cod Canal yourself, familiarizing yourself with the current is key. In Cape Cod Bay, at the east end of the canal, the tide is nearly 5-feet higher than the tide at the west end, in Buzzards Bay. The tides occur approximately 3-hours out of phase with each other, which creates a hard current flow. The current also reverses direction every six hours and restores itself to nearly full strength within 90-minutes of this change. What is your takeaway from this information? NO SWIMMING IS ALLOWED IN THE CAPE COD CANAL. Although, there was this one time in 2012: it was believed that a bear spotted in West Barnstable had actually gotten there by swimming across the Cape Cod Canal.

For further information about the Canal Region, please visit:

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