Erie Canalway Map & Guide 2014

National Park Service Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor U.S. Department of the Interior

Erie Canalway Map & Guide 2014 Erie Canal/Mohawk River at Rexford, Debbie Krohl Erie Canal/Mohawk River at Rexford,

Something to Write Home About Wish You hen you explore the Erie, kayak, or cruise nearly 400 miles from Champlain, Cayuga-Seneca, or Albany to Buffalo. But you don’t have to Were Here… WOswego Canals, you’re traveling travel the entire distance to have some- in the wake of generations of families, canal thing to write home about. Before Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, people sent What’s boat workers, and world travelers who have You can ride the Canalway Trail for an messages to friends and relatives on postcards. As Inside plied these waters and walked its towpath hour or two, visit one of the Canalway the social media of its day, postcards were cheap and since the Erie Canal opened in 1825. Some Corridor’s premier canal museums and fast. Notes were often short and without detail, but Come Aboard . . . . . 2 of our more famed visitors include Marquis historic sites, discover the charm of canal they connected sender and recipient in much the de Lafayette, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Harriet villages, or step onboard a tour boat to same way that a quick tweet, Instagram, or Facebook Hit the Trail ...... 3 Beecher Stowe, and Mark Twain. get a sense of how much the Erie Canalway post does today. Erie Canalway If you travel the entire length of the National Heritage Corridor has to offer. Thousands of post cards of the Erie Canal are saved Map ...... 4,5 Erie Canal, you’ll join a growing number Use this guide to make the most of in museums and historical society collections across the of today’s “End-to-Enders” who are your visit…and feel free to write home or state. They provide a fascinating record of life along Take the Kids ...... 6 enjoying a big adventure and sense of write us to share what you liked best. the canal in the 1800s and 1900s. accomplishment as they walk, cycle, row, For the fun of it, send us a postcard or It’s a Hard Knock post to our Facebook page to let us know Life ...... 6 what you like best about the Erie Canalway. Ship Shape ...... 7 We’ll share selected “postcards” on our social media sites and in our publications to spread Photo Contest . . . . . 7 the word farther. 2014 Events ...... 8 SEND US A POSTCARD: Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor A National Treasure. . . 8 P.O. Box 219 Waterford, NY 12188 Have a Safe Season on the Water. . . . . 8 FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/eriecanalway Come COMPANY/ TELEPHONE/

LOCATION WEBSITE CANOE/KAYAK RENTAL AND HOURLY TOURS DAILY SELF-SKIPPERED RENTAL BOAT OVERNIGHT/ CRUISE MULTI-DAY CHARTER W/CAPTAIN/CREW Aboard Multiple Locations Blount Small Ship 800-556-7450; 401-247-0955 Adventures, Warren, RI www.blountsmallshipadventures.com • • Mid-Lakes Navigation Co., 800-545-4318; 315-685-8500; Baldwinsville, Skaneateles 315-986-3011 • • Macedon n www.midlakesnav.com Erie Canal: Mohawk-Hudson Region The Boat House, 518-393-5711 Schenectady www.boathousecanoeskayaks.com • hat better way to Erie Canal Cruises, 315-717-0350 Herkimer n www.eriecanalcruises.com • • experience W Erie-Champlain Canal Boat 518-577-6363; 518-432-6094 America’s oldest Company, Waterford www.eccboating.com • • continuously-operat- Erie Canal: Central Region ing canal than to get Camillus Erie Canal Park, 315-488-3409 on the water! You Camillus n www.eriecanalcamillus.com • can cruise in your Erie Canal: Western Region boat or get onboard a tour boat, seek out Colonial Belle–Erie Canal 585-223-9470 an overnight excursion, or rent a self- many canal harbors, visitor centers, or Cruises, Fairport n www.colonialbelle.com • • skippered canal boat. The waterway is parks on the water. Or visit one of the Corn Hill Navigation, 585-662-5748 • • also great for kayaking and canoeing. waterway’s 57 locks to watch a passing Pittsford www.samandmary.org The New York Canal System includes boat “lock through.” You’ll see tugboats, Erie Canal Boat Company, 585-748-2628 • • four historic canals: the Erie, Champlain, barges, and historic replica canal boats Fairport n s www.eriecanalboatcompany.com Oswego and Cayuga-Seneca. Together, plying canal waters alongside today’s Genesee Waterways 585-328-3960 Center, Rochester s www.geneseewaterways.org • they create an inland waterway that spans cruisers, motorboats, and kayaks. Lock 32 Whitewater 585-586-4330; 585-328-3960 524-miles of upstate New York, connecting Consult our chart to find boat rentals Kayaking Park, Pittsford www.geneseewaterways.org • the Hudson River with Lake Champlain, and tours. You’ll also find the latest infor- Lockport Locks and Erie 800-378-0352; 716-433-6155 Lake Ontario, Cayuga Lake, Seneca Lake, mation about canoe and kayak launches, Canal Cruises, Lockport n www.lockportlocks.com • • and Lake Erie via the Niagara River. boat ramps, boat rentals and cruises, Low Bridge Charters, 585-944-1764 • If you like boats but prefer to watch marinas, and more using the New York Fairport www.lowbridgecharters.com them from shore, stop by one of the Canal Map: www.canals.ny.gov/maps Niagara River Cruises, 716-512-8081; No. Tonawanda, Niagara www.niagararivercruises.org • • Falls, Grand Island Cayuga-Seneca Canal Lockport Canal Side Experiences, 315-651-4443 Waterloo www.canalside.net • • • Captain Bill’s, 607-535-4541 Watkins Glen n www.senecaharborstation.com • • Cornell Outfitting Rental 607-255-1807 Center, Ithaca https://coe.cornell.edu/ • Cruise-USA, Union Springs 228-424-3768; www.cruise-usa.com • Erie Canal Cruise Lines, 800-962-1771 Seneca Falls www.canalcruises.com • Finger Lakes Boat Rental, 315-364-8663 Aurora www.fingerlakesboatrental.com • Finger Lakes Boat Tours, 585-703-0031 Geneva www.fingerlakesboattours.com • • Finger Lakes Water 315-789-5520 Adventures, Waterloo www.fingerlakeswateradventures.com • • • • • Force Seven Charters, Inc., 585-330-7440 Seneca Lake, Waterloo www.forcesevencharters.com • • • Fuzzy Guppies, Waterloo 315-539-8848; www.fuzzyguppies.com • • Ithaca Boat Tours, Ithaca 607-697-0166; www.ithacaboattours.com • • Liberty Boat Tours, 315-246-7608 ; 315-789-5520 (Geneva) New York State Canal Corporation Seneca Falls, Geneva www.libertyboattours.com • • • Paddle-N-More, Cayuga Lake 607-349-4767; http://paddlenmore.com The New York State Canal System is owned and operated by the New • • York State Canal Corporation, a subsidiary of the New York State Thruway Water to Wine Tours, 607-229-6368; www.winolimo.com Cayuga Lake • • Authority . The canal is typically open for boating from May 1st through Champlain Canal November 15th . For current information on fees for boating through the Carillon Cruises, Whitehall 802-897-5331; www.carilloncruises.com locks, up-to-date notices to mariners, or to order the official Cruising Guide • • to the New York State Canal System, visit www.canals.ny.gov or call Mohawk Maiden Cruises, 518-636-6146 Schuylerville www.mohawkmaidencruises.com • • 1-800-4-CANAL-4 (1-800-422-6254) . Oswego Canal River Run Kayaks, Oswego 315-593-9895 Canal, multiple launch sites •

n Some tours accessible for people with disabilities, including wheelchair users. Please call ahead to discuss your specific needs. s Adaptive paddling available 2 Erie Canalway Map & Guide Old Erie Canal State Historic Park

Explore more! Bicycle Loop Routes

See more of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor using new bicycle loop routes that connect with the Erie Canal- Hit the Trail way Trail. The on-road routes, ranging from easy to challenging, will take you alking or cycling on the Erie Canalway Trail offers a glimpse of what travel- through scenic countryside in Orleans, ling across the state with a canal boat in tow might have been like. It’s also Ontario, Wayne, and Madison counties. a perfect way to access all sorts of interesting canal sites that you’d miss in Passport to Parks W A trail brochure for each route will a car. The 365-mile trail closely parallels much of the Erie Canal from Albany to Buffalo; help you to explore a variety of local Record your visit to the Erie more than three-quarters is off-road. attractions, including: canal villages, Canalway with special passport You can also access short off-road trails along the Champlain Canal in Waterford, farm stands, wineries, museums, and cancellation stamps, available at Halfmoon, and Schuylerville. The Glens Falls Feeder Canal Trail is a nine-mile trail from state parks. Download maps directly selected cultural heritage sites . Fort Edward to Glens Falls that passes the Five Combines, an intact series of five locks, from each county tourism agency’s The free stamps are part of on the Old Champlain Canal in Fort Edward. website or call us to request a copy. the Passport to Your National The Erie Canalway Trail is open to hikers, joggers, and bicyclists, as well as cross- Parks® program, which enables country skiers in winter. Some paved sections are suitable for in-line skating. Erie Canalway Trail Resources visitors to collect stamps in a spiral- • Cycling the Erie Canal—A guide to TRAIL SECTION MILES DESCRIPTION bound National 400 miles of adventure and history Park Service Erie Canal Heritage Trail 120 Buffalo to Lyons along the Erie Canalway Trail. Passport at Great cycling along the canal through Western Erie Available from Parks & Trails New Canal towns. York, www.ptny.org/guidebook, national parks Old Erie Canal–Port 28 Schasel Park in Port Byron to Warners Road in Camillus 518-434-1583. Also check PTNY’s and NPS-affili- Byron to Camillus Follows old Erie Canal route through Central New interactive Cycling the Erie Canal ated areas York; traverses Camillus Erie Canal Park, which website: www.ptny.org/bikecanal. nationwide . includes restored aqueduct at Nine Mile Creek. • Erie Canalway Trail Map—Free from Look for Old Erie Canal Historic 36 Dewitt to Rome the New York State Canal Corporation, stamp pads State Park Follows the old Erie Canal; Chittenango Landing (800)-4CANAL4 or (518) 436-3055, and stamps Canal Boat Museum is on route. www.canals.ny.gov/exvac/trail/ in each site’s visitor Rome to Utica 14 Rome to Utica index.html. center, gift shop, or headquar- Trail follows the Erie Canal/Mohawk River with some ters . The stamp lists the site lovely views along a largely shaded path. • Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail Map—Free from Friends of the and the date as a memento Mohawk Hudson 86 Little Falls to Albany Mohawk-Hudson Bike-Hike Trail, of your visit . A special Kids’ Bikeway Plenty to see and do; visit locks, historic and cultural ® sites, and canal towns. Short segments are easy to www.mhbht.org. Passport to Your National Parks access for day trips. • Glens Falls Feeder Canal Trail—Map Companion is also available Glens Falls Feeder 9 Fort Edward to Glens Falls and information from the Feeder Canal from www.eparks.com/store Canal Trail Follows the 1832 feeder canal that supplied water to Alliance, www.feedercanal.com. or 1-877-628-7275 . the Champlain Canal. Connects with the Glens Falls Bikeway to Lake George.

Erie Canalway Map & Guide 3 Montreal

r e iv R ce n re w La t in a Lake S Champlain

12 Lake Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Champlain 30 8 Lake Begin your journey in the east, west, or right in the middle of New York State, you can’t go wrong— George Whitehall 81 Whitehall SHA CHAMPLAIN CANAL the canal’s treasures are strung together along the waterway like gems on a necklace. H. Lee White Maritime Museum Fort Ontario SHS Oswego

149 Fort Ann LAKE ONTARIO Minetto 3 Glens 18 13 Fort Stanwix NM OSWEGO CANAL Erie Canal construction Falls ERIE CANAL Fulton began here, July 4, 1817 Rome 8 Fort Edward 19

CANADA 481 Rogers Island Visitor Center 104 259 USA 63 46 Middleport Albion Holley Phoenix Erie Canal Village Brockport Rochester High Falls SHA 104 49 365 87 48 Sylvan Beach 12 Medina 31A Genesee River Falls & Gorge 34 Oneid Oak Orchard Aqueduct Genesee Aqueduct/Broad Street Bridge a Lake Oriskany Lock 20 Schuylerville Lockport IROQUOIS NATIONAL Spencerport Rochester Baldwinsville 46 Schuyler House 31 WILDLIFE REFUGE 98 Battlefield SHS SCP Great Lockport Flight 21 31 Sacandaga (part of Saratoga NHP) Niagara Erie Canal Discovery Center 14 414 Oriskany 29 Falls 490 Cross Salt Museum Lake Niagara Falls Lockport Canal Museum Fairport Lake Liverpool ERIE CANAL Saratoga Springs HP Oneida Barge Canal Lock 17, highest North Clyde Onondaga O nal S Utica single lift in the system Macedon Jordan ld Erie Ca 5 Tonawanda WESTERN ERIE CANAL STATE HERITAGE CORRIDOR Pittsford 31 Newark Lake 5S Little Falls 29 9 32 Palmyra Lyons Canastota Herkimer 4 VT 190 78 Y Weedsport Frankfort Schoharie Crossing SHS N 90 NEW YORK STATE THRUWA Palmyra Aqueduct Canastota Canal Town Museum Saratoga NHP i Tonawanda St. Johnsville Schoharie Aqueduct 40 a 5 Camillus 173 Fayetteville Ilion g Batavia Port 90 M Yankee Hill Lock a Nine Mile Creek Aqueduct 67 ra o R MONTEZUMA Byron Chittenango Herkimer Stillwater iv NATIONAL Erie Canal Park 92 h Fonda er 5 Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum Home SHS a r 63 WILDLIFE REFUGE 167 w e Amsterdam 77 Syracuse Fort Plain k iv Lock 4 SCP Big R CAYUGA–SENECA CANAL Cayuga Auburn Clinton Square 28 5 Mechanicville 20 5 Weighlock Building 20 80 Nose 30A Lock 9 SCP Canandaigua Canajoharie 30 Erie Canal Museum Canajoharie Library Little Nose Rexford Buffalo Geneva Waterloo Syracuse SHA 20 Seneca Falls and Arkell Museum Western terminus, 19th-century Erie Canal Women’s Rights NHP Vischer Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural NHS 89 Seneca Falls SHA MOHAWK VALLEY STATE HERITAGE C O RRIDOR Ferry Waterford Buffalo SHA Schenectady LAKE ERIE 390 Seneca Museum of Waterways Waterford Flight Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society Museum S 90 and Industry Schenectady SHA Peebles Island SP e

C n Waterford Harbor Visitor Center Canandaigua a 20 e

y Lake c a u Troy g Aurora 13 10 L a r a Hudson-Mohawk SHA North e k iv L 34 R e a Cohoes 90 k Cooperstown k e e e e e Cohoes Falls s Dresden r e C Erie Locks 4–18 n e e i r Hudson-Mohawk SHA 0 40 Kilometers G a 14 h 414 o h 0 40 Miles Cortland 28 c S

Canals operating 12 88 Albany today Taughannock Eastern terminus, 19th-century Falls SP Erie & Champlain canals 19th-century canals FINGER Albany SHA LAKES New York State Museum 90 NATIONAL Oneonta Erie Canalway National Keuka Schuyler-Mansion SHS Lake FOREST 81 Heritage Corridor Ithaca New York State Capitol Buttermilk Falls SP Watkins Glen Watkins Glen SP 13 87 There are many partners Selected 19th-century National Park System New York State Park System 86 Montour Falls in the Erie Canalway canal structures are NHP National Historical Park SCP State Canal Park National Heritage shown in blue. NHS National Historical Site SHA State Heritage Area Corridor. Information Abbreviations for park NM National Monument SHP State Historic Park along the canal can be areas are listed at right. NST National Scenic Trail SHS State Historic Site NEW YORK found at the sites shown SP State Park in green on the map. MASS

Canal Adventure Culture & Heritage Binghamton Getting Here • 524 miles (800 km) of continuous • Four national parks navigable waterway • 34 national historic landmarks The canal is accessible by car, boat, bicycle, • 365-mile (587 km) Erie Canalway Trail • Historic canal sites, vessels, and museums and train, and from major airports in • Vacation boat rentals • 100-mile mural trail Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo. • Canal tours • Grand movie palaces and theaters

• World class fishing • Renowned art museums and galleries r

The New York State Thruway (I-90) and Y

i • Kayaking and canoeing W

K R

Amtrak parallel the Erie Canal from A

n • Crew races E

T o A

Albany to Buffalo. Northway I-87 and s S

I d

u O

NY Rte 4 provide access to the Champlain C

A H

T Canal from Albany to Whitehall. State and county roads thread through the hamlets, CONN villages, and cities that grew along the waterways and provide access to canal towns, attractions, and historic sites.

Plan your visit using our online guide: Glenn Charles www.eriecanalway.org/explore.htm

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D U N S O N D L A I S N G L O

New York City Montreal

r e iv R ce n re w La t in a Lake S Champlain

12 Lake Champlain

30 8 Lake George Whitehall 81 Whitehall SHA

H. Lee White Maritime Museum CHAMPLAIN CANAL Fort Ontario SHS Oswego

149 Fort Ann LAKE ONTARIO Minetto 3 Glens 18 13 Fort Stanwix NM OSWEGO CANAL Erie Canal construction Falls ERIE CANAL Fulton began here, July 4, 1817 Rome 8 Fort Edward 19

C n Waterford Harbor Visitor Center Canandaigua a 20 e y Lake c a u Troy g Aurora 13 10 L a r a Hudson-Mohawk SHA North e k iv L 34 R e a Cohoes 90 k Cooperstown k e e e e e Cohoes Falls s Dresden r e C Erie Locks 4–18 n e e i r Hudson-Mohawk SHA 0 40 Kilometers G a 14 h 414 o h 0 40 Miles Cortland 28 c S

Regional Flavor Festivals & Events Nature & Scenic Beauty Binghamton • 230 canal communities • Hundreds of canal-side festivals & events • Two national wildlife refuges • Winery and brewery tours • Concerts • Four national natural landmarks • Canal-side dining • Parades • 24 New York State parks • Ethnic foods and regional cuisine • Fireworks • Exceptional birdwatching • Farmer’s markets • Family-fun activities • Nature photography

• One-of-kind shopping • Crafts • Quiet getawaysr

i • Demonstrations & re-enactments W

K R

n • Local food celebrations E

T o A

T s S

I d

u O

A H

T CONN Glenn Charles Claire Talbot John Crispin

Erie Canalway Map & Guide 5

D U N S O N D L A I S N G L O

New York City Take the Kids! Phil Scalia

Spending special time with family or friends is a favorite pastime Tips for Cycling with Kids of any child. There are lots of ways to share a fine afternoon or an • Go far enough to have fun, entire vacation in the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. without pushing it beyond what Here are our top five things to do with kids: kids can handle. Plan short rides initially and lengthen them as your 1. Take a Boat Trip. Kids especially love 4. Go Fish! Cast your line in the canal child’s interest and stamina grow. the experience of going through itself, or in smaller streams and lakes • Stop along the way. Make brief locks or under lift bridges. See our list throughout the Corridor. Common pit stops to see old aqueducts, on page 2 for canal tours and boats catches include walleye, northern pike, bridges, locks, or wildlife. for hire. small and large mouth bass, and panfish. Check fishing regulations and • Choose a destination where you’ll 2. Cycle on the Erie Canalway Trail. advisories before you go: www.dec. turn around. This gives kids a The off-road trail is a great, safe place ny.gov/outdoor/7917.html sense of accomplishment and a to ride. From budding two-wheelers point to shoot for as they ride. to teens ready for a multi-day trip, 5. Cultivate a Sense of Wonder. Enjoy

Camillus Erie Canal Park. Dave Beebe the trail offers options to suit every swimming, hiking, and nature study • Be prepared with snacks and skill level. at state parks, nature preserves, and water or plan a picnic to celebrate National Natural Landmarks. You’ll find the end of the ride. 3. Experience Hands on History. Most dramatic waterfalls, lakes, trails, and canal-related history museums offer Find suggestions for kid-friendly vast wetlands full of bird life. Some special programs and hands-on displays rides on our website: www.erie great picks include: Moss Island National for children. Call ahead for a calendar- canalway.org/explore_things- Natural Landmark, Little Falls; Green of-events or to ask about kid-friendly to-do_bicycling-kids.htm Lakes State Park, Fayetteville; Buttermilk activities. Find them using our online Falls State Park and Robert H. Treman guide: www.eriecanalway.org/ State Park in Ithaca. explore.htm

It’s a Hard Knock Life Kids on the Canal in the 1800s icture walking along a dirt path, the smell of animals mixed with that of laboring men—day after day, mile after mile, through hot sun and driving Prain—and the life of a mule driver on the canal begins to come into view. What’s harder to imagine today is that many mule drivers were children. The demanding job of the mule driver was often held by boys (and occasionally girls) as young as eight-years old. They walked 15 to 20 miles each day, typically completing two six-hour shifts as the canal boat traveled to its destination. At the end of the day, no hot shower or soft pillow awaited. Boys often slept with the animals and tended to their needs in stalls onboard the canal boat. Some mule drivers worked alongside their families, pitching in as expected to run a family-run canal boat business. Others were orphaned immigrants. Children whose parents did not survive the trans-Atlantic journey were some- times sent north from New York City to work on canal boats. Low wages and rough conditions marked the life of the mule driver.

6 Erie Canalway Map & Guide Ship Shape

Sailors have long been obliged to keep their quarters neat and secure, especially given tight space onboard ships and turbulence at sea—hence, the phrase ship shape came to mean neat, tidy, and in good condition. Today, keeping a fleet of historic vessels in ship shape is the task of every Tugboats Buoy Boats member of the NYS Canal Watch for the powerful tugs Gov. Roosevelt and Gov. Cleveland From the 1920s into the 1960s, over 2,100 kerosene lanterns Corporation’s crew. (both built in 1928 as icebreaking tugs), tugs Syracuse, Pittsford, burned on buoys and channel markers along New York’s Canal and Lockport, or one of the smaller, but still mighty Tender Tugs System. Buoy Tenders used these steel-hulled boats to patrol a Most of the blue and yellow vessels pushing scows loaded with dredged material, stone rip-rap, and section of canal and refill lamps along the way. Today, these you see on the canal were built prior to other construction material. vessels are used for general errands, maintenance work, and to 1940. Thanks to the diligence of genera- take channel soundings. tions of canal captains, engineers, and deck hands, these vessels are still at work, brass and paint still gleaming. Shown at right are a few of the vessels you may see and the jobs they do.

Rochester, Dave Valvo David Holton

Tugboat Urger Dredges This is the flagship vessel in the New York State Canal Corpora- Dredges remove sediments from the bottom of the canal to tion’s fleet. Built in 1901, this venerable tug has been plying maintain the navigation channel. Hydraulic dredges use rotary Share Your the waters of the canal since 1921. The Urger is now used to cutters at the end of long suction pipes to chew through gravel educate school children and adults about the importance of New bars. The slurry of mud, stones, and water is sucked up by giant Point of View York’s historic canal system and the role that inland waterways pumps on board and discharged through a long string of pipes have played—and continue to play—in the lives of people who on floats to settling lagoons onshore. 2014 Photo Contest live along them. Watch for tug Urger at community festivals throughout the summer. Share your unique perspective on the sites and scenes of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor for our 2014 Photo Contest . Judges will select winning images in four contest categories: Bridges, Buildings and Locks; On the Water; Fun and Festivities; and the Nature of the Canal . We’ll feature winning images in

our 2015 Erie Canalway calendar . Keith Boas

Deadline for submissions: August 30, 2014

Download contest rules Quarter Boats Scows and an entry form: Canal maintenance work often happens a long way from any Scows are flat-bottomed boats with square ends. Hopper scows www.eriecanalway.org. town. The big blue floating boxes with windows that you may haul dredged material. Deck scows carry construction machinery, see near dredging operations are Quarters Boats where crews materials, and dredge pipe. sleep and eat.

Erie Canalway Map & Guide 7 A National Treasure

The canal system inspired early tourism— travelers published hundreds of accounts of their journeys—as well as songs, illustrations, and other ingredients of popular culture. Social movements including abolitionism, women’s rights, and religious revivalism P.O. Box 219 flourished along the canal. Waterford, New York 12188 518-237-7000 The canal system’s influence is visible in Fax 518-237-7640 the buildings and streetscapes of communi- [email protected] ties across the state. They share similarities in www.eriecanalway.org layout and orientation to the waterway— many feature an Erie Boulevard, Canal Street, or Towpath Road, often where abandoned segments of the old canal have been filled Many thanks! in—as well as architecture reflecting the Major funding support for this Albion prosperity enjoyed during the canals’ heyday. publication was provided by: Today, New York’s canals still link very child learns in school that communities together and offer an excep- building the Erie Canal was a tional way to explore the state. The Erie heroic feat of engineering and Canalway National Heritage Corridor E collaborates with partners at the local, construction. Hailed as a new world www.canals.ny.gov wonder, the Erie Canal stirred immense state, and federal level to preserve and pride throughout the state of New York share our extraordinary canal heritage and and the nation while forging fundamen- foster vibrant communities connected by our treasured waterways. tal aspects of the American character. www.iloveny.com In addition to establishing New York Get involved! Stay informed by signing City as the nation’s premier seaport and up for our e-newsletter; volunteer for commercial center, the Erie and its canal-related projects in your community; or Postcards courtesy Erie Canal lateral canals shaped settlement patterns make a donation to our nonprofit organiza- Museum, Syracuse, NY; in the Northeast and Midwest. tion to expand our work and impact. www.eriecanalmuseum.org

2014 Events Have a safe season on the water

Whether you are a new or experienced boater, follow Join the fun at festivals and events all these tips for a safe season on the water. season long. We’ve listed the major • Take a New York Safe Boating Course. A new law cross-corridor events here; check online requires that anyone born on or after May 1, 1996 is for a complete calendar of events: required to successfully complete an approved boater www.canals.ny.gov education course to operate a motorboat. Find one

near you at: www.WearItNewYork.com. Fairport, Keith Boas Keith Fairport, Path Through History Weekends • If you are renting a motorboat or personal watercraft, June 7-8 and 14-15 no certificate is required, but you must be at least Join in this statewide celebration of New York’s 18 years of age. heritage and culture at hundreds of special events • Check your life jackets. Every boat must have one U.S. and programs. www.paththroughhistoryweekends.com Cycling the Erie Canal Coast Guard approved, properly-sized life jacket in good condition and readily accessible for each passenger. Journey Along the Erie Canal July 13-20 Who must legally wear a life jacket? June 30 - July 11 500 riders, 400 miles, 8-days of adventure – Children under 12 years of age unless in a fully Spend a few hours or a full day cycling the Canalway Trail with the and fun along the Erie Canal. Join the ride enclosed cabin Our Ability team, as they complete a second cross state bike ride or the cheering section! Organized by – Everyone riding on a personal watercraft along the Erie Canal to raise funds for adaptive sports, education Parks & Trails New York. www.ptny.org – Everyone being towed (tubing, waterskiing, etc.) and employment for people with disabilities. behind a vessel www.ourability.com Canal Splash! – Everyone on any vessel less than 21 feet in length August 8-10 between November 1 and May 1. 2014 Tour of the Lois McClure Discover what the canal corridor has to July through September offer at guided walks, rides, tours, and NYS Parks recommends wearing a life Step on board canal schooner Lois McClure! Free tours offered at canalside events and festivals throughout jacket at all times, especially in small multiple stops along Lake Champlain, the Champlain Canal, and the Erie Canalway. boats such as canoes, kayaks and stand Hudson River. Get the full schedule at www.lcmm.org www.canals.ny.gov/index.shtml up paddleboards, when boating alone, or for adults when boating with small children. Set the example for safety!

8 Erie Canalway Map & Guide