Length of the Erie Canal -- 338 miles
Navigation season -- early May to mid-November
Permits/tolls -- Check out the New York State Canal System page for current information.
Bridge clearances -- Waterford to Three Rivers -- 20 feet
-- Three Rivers to Tonawanda -- 15.5 feet
For additional information about the 16 lift bridges and 34 locks on the canal see table below.
Channel depths -- Waterford to Three Rivers -- 14 feet
-- Three Rivers to Tonawanda -- 12 feet
However, I noted several spots where the depth was only 9 feet
Maps of the New York State Canal System
Old Erie Canal charts Scroll a bit more than half-way down the page to dates 1917 (Sheet 15), 1922 (Sheet 16), & 1923 (25 different sheets).
Lift Bridges
There are 16 lift bridges spanning the west section of the canal between Lockport and Fairport. Except for Fairport, the bridges lift on request. However, many of the bridge operators are responsible for two bridges and the need to accommodate canallers at both locations sometimes results in a short delay. Because Fairport is so busy, the bridge there lifts only on the hour and half-hour during the day (but on request in the evening). See the following table for details.
Locks
There are 34 locks between Lockport and Waterford, with lifts ranging from 6 to 40.5 feet. The lock walls vary from smooth to extremely rough, with large concavities in some concrete walls. Most of the locks have weighted drop lines; a few have only fixed lines; a good portion have both weighted lines and drop pipes (a rigid vertical rod recessed into the chamber wall). The height of the top of the chamber walls above the full waterline varies. The tops of the chamber walls at Locks 12 to 15 were so low I had to lower my fenders to the point they were touching the water. See the following table for details.
If you believe any of the information in the table is incorrect or have information you think should be added, please email me.
| Lock/Lift Bridge | Distance to next lock/bridge W/E | Telephone | Additional information about locks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lift | Drop lines | Condition of chamber | |||
| Note: Waterford, which is located at the junction of the Erie Canal and the Hudson River, is the eastern terminus of the Erie Canal. Lock 2 is the first lock in the Erie Canal. Boats continuing south on the Hudson River need to transit the federal lock at Troy. Boats continuing north will encounter the Champlain Canal locks. | |||||
| Lock 2, Waterford | Wbound--.3 mile Ebound--see note |
518-237-0810 | 33.6' | Weighted lines only | Poor; very rough walls; some large concavities |
| Lock 3, Waterford | Wbound--.6 mile Ebound--.3 mile |
518-237-0812 | 34.6' | Weighted lines and drop pipes | Excellent |
| Lock 4, Waterford | Wbound--.2 mile Ebound--.6 mile |
518-237-0818 | 34.6' | Weighted lines and drop pipes | Excellent |
| Lock 5, Waterford | Wbound--.3 mile Ebound--.2 mile |
518-237-0821 | 33.3' | Weighted lines and drop pipes | Excellent |
| Lock 6, Waterford | Wbound--.9 miles Ebound--.3 mile |
518-237-4014 | 33' | Weighted lines and drop pipes | Poor; very rough walls; some large concavities |
| Guard Gate 2 | Wbound--10 miles Ebound--.9 miles |
518-237-0833 | |||
| Lock 7, Vischer Ferry | Wbound--11 miles Ebound--10 miles |
518-374-7912 | 27' | Weighted lines only | Excellent |
| Lock 8, Scotia | Wbound--5 miles Ebound--11 miles |
518-346-3382 | 14' | Weighted lines only | Excellent |
| Lock 9, Rotterdam Junction | Wbound--6 miles Ebound--5 miles |
518-887-2401 | 15' | Weighted lines only | Excellent |
| Lock 10, Cranesville | Wbound--4 miles Ebound--6 miles |
518-887-5450 | 15' | Weighted lines only | Excellent |
| Lock 11, Amsterdam | Wbound--5 miles Ebound--4 miles |
518-843-2120 | 12' | Weighted lines only | Rough walls |
| Lock 12, Tribes Hill | Wbound--10 miles Ebound--5 miles |
518-829-7331 | 11' | Weighted lines and drop pipes | Smooth walls but not much height above full waterline |
| Lock 13, Randall | Wbound--8 miles Ebound--10 miles |
518-922-6173 | 8' | Weighted lines and drop pipes | Smooth walls but not much height above full waterline |
| Lock 14, Canajoharie | Wbound--4 miles Ebound--8 miles |
518-673-3314 | 8' | Weighted lines and drop pipes | Smooth walls but not much height above full waterline |
| Lock 15, Fort Plain | Wbound--7 miles Ebound--4 miles |
518-993-4161 | 8' | Weighted lines only | Rough walls and not much height above full waterline |
| Lock 16, Mindenville | Wbound--8 miles Ebound--7 miles |
518-568-2636 | 20.5' | Weighted lines and drop pipes? | Excellent |
| Lock 17, Little Falls | Wbound--4 miles Ebound--8 miles |
315-823-0650 | 40.5' | Weighted lines only | Excellent; when uplocking must use south wall |
| Lock 18, Jacksonburg | Wbound--12 miles Ebound--4 miles |
315-823-2419 | 20' | Weighted lines and drop pipes | Excellent |
| Lock 19, Frankfort | Wbound--10 miles Ebound--12 miles |
315-733-5041 | 21' | Weighted lines and drop pipes | Excellent |
| Lock 20, Whitesboro | Wbound--18 miles Ebound--10 miles |
315-736-4617 | 16' | Weighted lines only | Rough walls |
| Lock 21, New London | Wbound--1 mile Ebound--18 miles |
315-336-8229 | 25' | Weighted lines only | Excellent |
| Lock 22, New London | Wbound--29 miles Ebound--1 mile |
315-336-4329 | 25' | Weighted lines only | Kind of rough walls |
| Lock 23, Brewerton | Wbound--19 miles Ebound--29 miles |
315-676-4171 | 7.1' | Weighted lines only | Excellent |
| Lock 24, Baldwinsville | Wbound--31 miles Ebound--19 miles |
315-635-3101 | 11' | Weighted lines only | Excellent |
| Lock 25, Mays Point | Wbound--6 miles Ebound--31 miles |
315-365-3241 | 6' | Weighted lines only | Not quite smooth walls |
| Lock 26, Clyde | Wbound--12 miles Ebound--6 miles |
315-923-9720 | 6' | Weighted lines only | Excellent |
| Lock 27, Lyons | Wbound--1 mile Ebound--12 miles |
315-946-4062 | 12.5' | Weighted lines only | Rough walls |
| Lock 28A, Lyons | Wbound--4 miles Ebound--1 mile |
315-946-4410 | 19.5' | Weighted lines only | Kind of rough walls |
| Lock 28B, Newark | Wbound--10 miles Ebound--4 miles |
315-331-3296 | 12' | Weighted lines only | Rough walls |
| Lock 29, Palmyra | Wbound--3 miles Ebound--10 miles |
315-597-4691 | 16' | Weighted lines only | Rough walls |
| Lock 30, Macedon | Wbound--8 miles Ebound--3 miles |
315-986-5631 | 16.4' | Weighted lines only | Rough walls |
| Fairport Bridge | Wbound--8 miles Ebound--8 miles |
716-223-9412 | |||
| Lock 32, Pittsford | Wbound--1 mile Ebound--8 miles |
716-586-1837 | 25.1' | Fixed lines only | Rough N wall |
| Lock 33, Rochester | Wbound--14 miles Ebound--1 mile |
716-244-2150 | 25.1' | Fixed lines only | Rough walls |
| Spencerport Bridge | Wbound--3 miles Ebound--14 miles |
716-352-5451 | |||
| Adams Basin Bridge | Wbound--5 miles Ebound--3 miles |
||||
| Park Ave. Bridge, Brockport | Wbound--.1 mile Ebound--5 miles |
716-637-0460 | |||
| Main St. Bridge, Brockport | Wbound--5 miles Ebound--.1 mile |
716-637-4530 | |||
| Holley Bridge | Wbound--3 miles Ebound--5 miles |
716-638-6456 | |||
| Hulberton Bridge | Wbound--6 miles Ebound--3 miles |
716-638-8183 | |||
| Ingersoll St. Bridge, Albion | Wbound--.1 mile Ebound--6 miles |
716-589-4107 | |||
| Main St. Bridge, Albion |
Wbound--3 miles Ebound--.1 mile |
716-589-6255 | |||
| Eagle Harbor Bridge | Wbound--3 miles Ebound--3 miles |
716-589-6700 | |||
| Knowlesville Bridge | Wbound--5 miles Ebound--3 miles |
716-798-2050 | |||
| Medina Bridge | Wbound--5 miles Ebound--5 miles |
716-798-0140 | |||
| Middleport Bridge | Wbound--5 miles Ebound--5 miles |
716-735-7250 | |||
| Gasport Bridge | Wbound--6 miles Ebound--5 miles |
716-772-7700 | |||
| Adams St. Bridge, Lockport | Wbound--.1 mile Ebound--6 miles |
716-434-7368 | |||
| Exchange St. Bridge, Lockport | Wbound--.2 mile Ebound--.1 mile |
716-434-7368 | |||
| Lock 34, Lockport | Wbound--0 miles Ebound--.2 mile |
716-434-3140 | 24.6' | Fixed lines only | Kind of rough walls |
| Lock 35, Lockport | Wbound--see note Ebound--0 miles |
716-434-3140 | 24.5' | Fixed lines only | Kind of rough walls |
| Note: There are no locks or lift bridges in the 18 mile stretch between Lock 35 and Tonawanda, the western terminus of the Erie Canal. However, boaters continuing south to Buffalo via the Tonawanda Channel and Black Rock Canal will have to transit the Black Rock Lock, a lift bridge, and a swing bridge (in that order). For navigation information go to Black Rock Lock | |||||