Western Erie Canal Adventure

"Don’t wait for life to come to you, go out there and grab it with both hands and never let it go."

The Erie Canal is part of the New York State Canal System, a 500+mile network of inland waterways that also include the Champlain, Oswego and Cayuga-Seneca canals. Together, they connect the Hudson River with Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, Cayuga Lake, Seneca Lake and Lake Erie via the Niagara River, allowing boats to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the upper Great Lakes. The NYS Canal System is made up of 524 miles of navigation channels, four distinct canals, 57 locks, 17 lift bridges, 13 moveable dams, 41 power houses and 22 guard gates.

A little info on the NYS Canal System (For more info click on the picture to enlarge)

We have done the eastern Erie Canal, the Oswego, the Champlain and part of the Cayuga-Seneca canal...so it just seemed right that we spend a little time on the western Erie Canal. We've heard it's the best section of the Erie with lots of pretty historical towns and villages to explore. Many of these communities provide free docking to visiting boats with power and water, and they are within walking distance of shops, restaurants and other attractions. Hometown hospitality is a hallmark of the canal corridor—lots of friendly lock tenders, harbormasters, and greeters who take pride in carrying on the nearly 200-year-old tradition of welcoming travelers. Our plan is to spend a few weeks traveling west to Buffalo and back to Ithaca...stopping wherever something looks interesting...no real itinerary, no real destination in mind, definitely no hurry.

The New York State Canal System’s exceptional scenery, history, culture, and natural resources earned the waterway and the communities along its shores a Congressional designation as the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor in 2000. The entire waterway was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2016. It has been in continuous operation since 1825, longer than any other constructed transportation system on the North American continent.

A map of the Western Erie and a few of the towns along the way. 

Fun Facts:

• Start of construction: 1817 in Rome, NY
• Grand Opening of Erie Canal: 1825
• Travel time from Albany to Buffalo in 1825: 5 days
• Travel time from Albany to Buffalo by Stagecoach: 2 weeks
• Length of the original Erie Canal from Albany to Buffalo: 363 miles
• Number of locks in 1825: 83
• Number of locks today: 57
• Elevation change from Albany to Buffalo:571'
• Canal dimensions in 1825 Original Erie: 4' deep x 40' wide; locks 90' long
• Canal dimensions in 1862 Enlarged Erie: 7' deep x 70' wide; lock 110' long
• Canal dimensions from 1918- present: 12-23' deep x 120-200' wide; locks 310' long
• Cost to build: $7,143,789
• Number of aqueducts to bypass rivers and streams:18