Erie Canal LITTLE FALLS The City of Little Falls is a fun place to explore before, during, or after your paddle LODGING trip. Here you’ll find an historic downtown with lots of shops and places to eat, the 43.040448 -74.859239 largest lock on the Erie Canal, and an island The Inn at Stone Mill with unique geologic features that you can 410 Canal Place see from the water or explore on land. Little Falls, NY 13365 The best place to launch or take out is (315) 823-0208 from Little Falls Canal Harbor and Rotary theinnatstonemill.com Park. You can also rent a canoe or kayak there. From the park, walk across the bridge Inn and restaurant. Located 400 feet into town. The annual canal celebration takes from Benton’s Landing. place in early August. 43.040633 -74.858653 FOR MORE INFORMATION: Canal Side Inn More information about things to do in the 395 Canal Place Little Falls region, including dining and lodging, Little Falls, NY 13365 is available at explorelittlefalls.com and (315) 823-1170 herkimercountychamber.com/visit. canalsideinn.com Inn and restaurant. Located 400 feet from Benton’s Landing. PADDLECRAFT RENTALS 43.042206 -74.859458 E Mile 80.10, south side 43.034697 -74.865476 Travelodge by Wyndham Little Falls 20 Albany Street Little Falls Canal Harbor and Little Falls, NY 13365 Rotary Park (315) 823-4954 125 Southern Avenue at the Erie Canal travelodge.com Little Falls, NY 13365 (315) 823-1453 Located 0.2 miles from Benton’s Landing. cityoflittlefalls.net 164 NEW YORK STATE CANALWAY WATER TRAIL GUIDEBOOK | eriecanalway.org Erie Canal–Little Falls Little Falls Canal Harbor and Rotary Park E Mile 81.22, north side 43.025640 -74.882090 FACILITIES: Electric, wi-fi, water, restrooms, showers, laundry, picnic tables and grills, Little Falls Launch camping. Kayak and canoe rentals. Concrete 75 Riverside Industrial Parkway (western end) ramp at western end; low dock at eastern end. Little Falls, NY 13365 Ample parking. The facilities are housed in a FACILITIES: Picnic tables, pavilion. Concrete repurposed 1921 Barge Canal freighthouse. ramp and floating dock. Parking for 20 cars; PADDLING NOTE: The next take-out with 24-hour limit. Distance from parking about road access is at St. Johnsville, about 10 miles 20 feet. downstream. DEC fishing access point. Accessible fishing dock. E Mile 79.84, north side 43.035917 -74.865603 Two fixed crest dams span Mohawk River E Mile 80.10, south side 43.034697 -74.865476 channels to either side of Hansen Island on Little Falls Canal Harbor and Rotary Park the north side of the river. 125 Southern Avenue at the Erie Canal PADDLING NOTE: Do not approach the dams Little Falls, NY 13365 or attempt to enter the rapids below. Hug the (315) 823-1453 south bank below Little Falls Harbor/Rotary cityoflittlefalls.net Park and pass under the guard gate. eriecanalway.org | NEW YORK STATE CANALWAY WATER TRAIL GUIDEBOOK 165 Erie Canal–Little Falls E Y 9 S >= AM AN >=100 E A S T W RD E S M T O N R O E S MO Travelodge T NR OE by Wyndham ml170 ml169 Little Falls ST NORTH ANN ST Little Falls Hydroelectric Canal Side Inn EAST Plant (FERC P-3509) MAIN ST The Inn at Stone Mill Little Falls Moss Island E Mile 79.15 Little Falls Aqueduct Ruins (1823) Benton’s Landing and Canal Place CANAL ml5 E Mile 79.59 E17 Western Inland Lock Navigation Guard Gate 4, Little Falls R IVER Company Lock (1792) E Mile 79.84 RD Little Falls Dam Lock E17, Little Falls WEST L E Mile 78.99 IA R MAIN ST T S Little Falls Canal Harbor U D ERIE N AY I W E K and Rotary Park ID R S A ER P E Mile 80.10 D IV R R L Little Falls Launch IL H E Mile 81.22 K C 167 O ml P RU River T T O ml5 Mohawk ml5S ml167 ml5S >=226 >=66 0 0.5 Miles 0 0.5 Kilometers ml167 .-,90 166 NEW YORK STATE CANALWAY WATER TRAIL GUIDEBOOK | eriecanalway.org Erie Canal–Little Falls E Mile 79.84 43.037560 -74.862237 E Mile 79.2, north side 43.039990 -74.850794 Guard Gate 4, Little Falls Stay clear of the hydroelectric plant intake, This guard gate protects Lock E17 from marked by vertical bar racks and rack raking Mohawk River floodwaters by diverting them machine on north bank. into the Little Falls rapids. PADDLING NOTE: The canal from here to E Mile 79.15, north side 43.039777 -74.847913 Lock E17 is lined by vertical concrete and Moss Island rock walls on both sides. It is subject to Moss Island, an artificial island covering 14 surges and sudden changes in water level acres, was created when the Erie Canal was caused by operations of the lock and a built. The underlying rock of the island is hydroelectric plant. syenite. Glacial meltwater from the last ice age scoured out numerous large, very deep E Mile 79.74 43.038602 -74.860688 potholes. Profile Rock, a formation in the shape of a human head, has been a prominent Bridge E32A, NY 167 canalside feature since the 1820s; nearly half A segment of the chamber wall of old Lock of it is now submerged by the water above 39, built in 1850, was incorporated into the Lock E17. The cliffs around Profile Rock are a north wall just to the west of the bridge. popular place for rock climbing and boulder- ing. Moss Island was declared a National E Mile 79.59, north side 43.039499 -74.858999 Natural Landmark in 1976. The island can be Benton’s Landing and Canal Place reached on foot from Lock E17 or from below Mohawk Street and Mill Street the lock by paddling along the shoreline to Little Falls, NY 13365 the left once you leave the lock. (315) 823-4309 littlefallsantiquecenter.com E Mile 78.99 43.038350 -74.846689 FACILITIES: Use Rotary Park to access Canal Lock E17, Little Falls Place. 499 South Ann Street Little Falls, NY 13365 Canal Place (315) 823-0650 Canal Place houses an expansive antiques center, boutique shops, and other businesses LIFT: 40.5 feet. in two massive stone mill buildings dating to FACILITIES: Portable toilet, picnic tables. 1855. This vibrant destination also includes No docking on the upstream side of the lock. the Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts, Facilities are difficult for paddlers to access at several restaurants, and a park where events this location due to steep canal walls. and festivals are frequently held. Benton’s Landing PADDLING NOTE: Because the large lock The remains of a lateral aqueduct that once chamber holds more than six million gallons connected the old Erie Canal to Benton’s of water, locking through here takes a bit Landing can be seen underwater to the east longer than usual, about 25 minutes. of the Mohawk Street bridge. Constructed in 1915, Lock E17 lifts and lowers boats 40.5 feet. It was once the highest eriecanalway.org | NEW YORK STATE CANALWAY WATER TRAIL GUIDEBOOK 167 Erie Canal–Little Falls Herkimer Home State Historic Site, Little Falls single lift lock in the world. The lock was built E Mile 77.24, south side 43.027867 -74.815895 to help boats navigate around multiple drops Herkimer Home State Historic Site and rapids that make up the “Little Falls” of 200 NY 169 the Mohawk River. Lock E17 is the only “shaft Little Falls, NY 13365 lock” on the system. The guillotine gate at (315) 823-0398 the lower end moves vertically rather than parks.ny.gov swinging side-to-side. It is suspended by chains and counterweights. The view from FACILITIES: The site has a dedicated floating the bottom of the chamber as it opens can be dock about 0.2 miles from the house. The breathtaking for east-bound boaters but be site is directly on the Erie Canalway Trail. prepared for drips as you pass underneath. Picnic area and restrooms. This 1764 Georgian-style mansion was home E Mile 78.87 43.038177 -74.844705 to Revolutionary War General Nicholas Bridge E30A, NY 169 Herkimer, hero of the Battle of Oriskany. The beautiful landscape is very close to what General Herkimer would have seen. ADMISSION: Fee. HOURS: Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The grounds are open dawn to dusk year-round. 168 NEW YORK STATE CANALWAY WATER TRAIL GUIDEBOOK | eriecanalway.org Erie Canal–Little Falls Moss Island 235 0 0.5 1 Miles 167 >= E Mile 79.15 ml RD 0 0.5 1 Kilometers AN E17 EM BIDL W RI EST RIV VER ER RD RD ml5 ERIE ml169 Lock E17, Little Falls E Mile 78.99 Little Falls Hydroelectric CANAL A Plant (FERC P-3509) S H Herkimer Home State E ml5 Historic Site >=246 Lansing Road R 5S E Mile 77.24 D ml M E Mile 74.94 o ha Rocky Rift wk Movable Dam Y WA RU Ri TH ve ml5S r NEW STATE .-,90 YORK .-,90 Castle Creek Aqueduct Ruins Guard Gate 3, Indian Castle RIVER k RD E Mile 74.54 e MOHAWK RIVER REGION e 66 D >= r C R D Explore the region where water and the R >=156 >=213 Erie Canal have shaped transportation, K 102 C 0 0.5 1 Miles >= E K B agriculture, industry, and settlement for ga E N a E E d R a C L w L centuries.