The Erie Canal is the longest canal section in the New York State Canal System. Beginning at Waterford, NY, the Erie Canal runs generally west following the Mohawk River, Lake Oneida, and the Oneida River to Three River Junction where the Oswego Canal intersects. The Erie Canal then continues along the Seneca River to its junction with the Cayuga-Seneca Canal at Kipp Island and then on through mostly manmade land cuts to its convergence with the Niagara River at Tonawanda, NY and finally Buffalo, NY and Lake Erie via the Black Rock Canal.
The navigation season for the Erie Canal is the same as for the rest of the New York State Canal System: early May through November from 0700 to 2200 daily. However, prior to Memorial Day and after Labor Day these hours are typically restricted to 0700 to 1700 daily.
Canal Passes may be purchased at many locations, but for those in transit, passes are most easily obtained at the first and last locks E-2 and E-35.
You can complete and print or download for future use The NYSCS Recreational Vessel Pass Application here
338 miles from Waterford, NY to Tonawanda, NY.
Red markers are kept to starboard west bound the entire length of the Erie Canal.
NOAA Chart #14786, provides coverage of the Erie Canal system with the exception a small section of the western end between Lyons, NY and Tonawanda, NY for which no chart coverage exists.
The Erie Canal Lock Chamber Waypoint’s in both Garmin (.gdb) and Adobe (.pdf) file formats are available for your use. This is a zipped file of 12 KB.
Erie Canal Waypoint’s - Download
There are 34 locks on the Erie Canal. All Lock chambers are the same as the rest of the NYSCS; 328 feet long and 45 feet wide.
From Waterford, NY to Three River Junction channel depths are 14 feet with 13 feet over the lock sills. Three River Junction to Tonawanda, NY you have 12 feet in the channel and over the lock sills.
Minimum bridge clearances are 21 feet from Waterford to Three River Junction and then 15.5 feet on to Tonawanda, NY. Additionally, west of Three River Junction there are 15 operating lift bridges.
All lockmaster's maintain a watch on VHF channel 13.
Lakes-no speed limit, rivers - 45 mph, land cuts / rock cuts - 10mph, or as posted.
As a general guide, Albany to Oswego, NY will require about 3 days @ 10 knots and Albany to Buffalo about 5 days at the same speed.
The latest navigational information can be found at Canal System Notice to Mariners. Anyone planning to transit the canal system should check these notices for last minute information on closures and restrictions.
This lock and transit schedule can be downloaded for your personal use as a ZIP file. The file contains the schedule in Adobe (.pdf) file format.
Please note: This is a Zipped file of 90 Kb.
Erie Canal Transit & Lock Schedule - DownloadErie Canal |
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| *No Lock E-1 or E-31 on the Erie Canal / **Transit Time Includes Lockage Time
¹Lock E-23 to Three River Junction - 6.84 Miles / 01:11 Hours ²Between Locks E-33 and E-34 the elevation of the canal rises 2 feet |
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| *Lock # | Elevation | Next Lock | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | Lift | Eastern End | Western End | Distance | **Transit Time @ 10 kts |
Lockmaster | |
| The Battery | New York, NY | --- | --- | --- | Troy Lock / 134.00 NM | 13:24 | --- |
| Troy Lock | Troy, NY | 14.0’ |
--- | --- | E-2 / 3.27 Miles | 00:50 | 518 272-6442 |
| E-2 | Waterford, NY | 33.6’ |
15.3’ | 48.9’ | E-3 / 0.28 Miles | 00:33 | 518-237-0810 |
| E-3 | Waterford, NY | 34.6’ |
48.9’ | 83.5’ | E-4 / 0.62 Miles | 00:34 | 518-237-0812 |
| E-4 | Waterford, NY | 34.6’ |
83.5’ | 118.1’ | E-5 / 0.16 Miles | 00:31 | 518-237-0818 |
| E-5 | Waterford, NY | 33.3’ |
118.1’ | 151.4’ | E-6 / 0.28 Miles | 00:33 | 518-237-0821 |
| E-6 | Waterford, NY | 33.0’ |
151.4’ | 184.4’ | E-7 / 10.83 Miles | 01:35 | 518-237-4014 |
| E-7 | Niskayuna, NY | 27.0’ |
184.4’ | 211.4’ | E-8 / 10.83 Miles | 01:35 | 518-374-7912 |
| E-8 | Glenville, NY | 14.0’ |
211.4’ | 225.4’ | E-9 / 4.82 Miles | 00:59 | 518-346-3382 |
| E-9 | Rotterdam, NY | 15.0’ |
225.4’ | 240.4’ | E-10 / 6.16 Miles | 01:07 | 518-887-2401 |
| E-10 | Cranesville, NY | 15.0’ |
240.4’ | 255.4’ | E-11 / 4.05 Miles | 00:54 | 518-887-5450 |
| E-11 | Amsterdam, NY | 12.0’ |
255.4’ | 267.4’ | E-12 / 4.57 Miles | 00:57 | 518-843-2120 |
| E-12 | Tribes Hill, NY | 11.0’ |
267.4’ | 278.4’ | E-13 / 9.68 Miles | 01:28 | 518-829-7331 |
| E-13 | Randall, NY | 8.0’ |
278.4’ | 286.4’ | E-14 / 7.90 Miles | 01:17 | 518-922-6173 |
| E-14 | Canajoharie, NY | 8.0’ |
286.4’ | 294.4’ | E-15 / 3.35 Miles | 00:50 | 518-673-3314 |
| E-15 | Fort Plain, NY | 8.0’ |
294.4’ | 302.4’ | E-16 / 6.71 Miles | 01:10 | 518-993-4161 |
| E-16 | Mindenville, NY | 20.5’ |
302.4’ | 322.9’ | E-17 / 7.77 Miles | 01:17 | 518-568-2636 |
| E-17 | Little Falls, NY | 40.5’ |
322.9’ | 363.4’ | E-18 / 4.20 Miles | 00:55 | 315-823-0650 |
| E-18 | Jacksonburg, NY | 20.0’ |
363.4’ | 383.4’ | E-19 / 12.00 Miles | 01:42 | 315-823-2419 |
| E-19 | Frankfort, NY | 21.0’ |
383.4’ | 404.4’ | E-20 / 10.30 Miles | 01:32 | 315-733-5041 |
| E-20 | Careys Corners, NY | 16.0’ |
404.4’ | 420.4’ | E-21 / 18.22 Miles | 02:19 | 315-736-4617 |
| E-21 | Rome, NY | 25.0’ |
420.4’ | 395.4’ | E-22 / 1.35 Miles | 00:38 | 315-336-8229 |
| E-22 | Rome, NY | 25.3’ |
395.4’ | 370.1’ | E-23 / 28.65 Miles | 03:22 | 315-336-4329 |
| E-23¹ | Brewerton, NY | 7.1’ |
370.1’ | 363.0’ | E-24 / 18.75 Miles | 02:23 | 315-676-4171 |
| E-24 | Baldwinsville, NY | 11.0’ |
363.0’ | 374.0’ | E-25 / 30.75 Miles | 03:35 | 315-635-3101 |
| E-25 | Mays Point, NY | 6.0’ |
374.0’ | 380.0’ | E-26 / 5.84 Miles | 01:05 | 315-365-3241 |
| E-26 | Clyde, NY | 6.0’ |
380.0’ | 386.0’ | E-27 / 12.06 Miles | 01:42 | 315-923-9720 |
| E-27 | Lyons, NY | 12.5’ |
386.0’ | 398.5’ | E-28A / 1.25 Miles | 00:38 | 315-946-4062 |
| E-28A | Lyons, NY | 19.5’ |
398.5’ | 418.0’ | E-28B / 3.93 Miles | 00:54 | 315-946-4410 |
| E-28B | Newark, NY | 12.0’ |
418.0’ | 430.0’ | E-29 / 9.70 Miles | 01:28 | 315-331-3296 |
| E-29 | Palmyra, NY | 16.0’ |
430.0’ | 446.0’ | E-30 / 3.00 Miles | 00:48 | 315-597-4691 |
| E-30 | Macedon, NY | 16.4’ |
446.0’ | 462.4’ | E-32 / 16.10 Miles | 02:07 | 315-986-5631 |
| E-32 | Pittsford, NY | 25.1’ |
462.4’ | 487.5’ | E-33 / 1.30 Miles | 00:39 | 585-586-1837 |
| E-33 | Henrietta, NY | 25.4’ |
487.5’ | 512.9’ | E-34 / 64.20 Miles | 06:55 | 585-244-2150 |
| E-34 | Lockport, NY | 24.6’ |
514.9’² | 539.5’ | E-35 / 0.00 Miles | 00:30 | 716-434-3140 |
| E-35 | Lockport, NY | 24.5’ |
539.5’ | 564.0’ | Black Rock Lock / 26.0 Miles | 03:06 | 716-434-3140 |