Cayuga-Seneca Canal Locks

There are a total of 4 locks over the length of the Cayuga-Seneca Canal (lock CS1 thru lock CS4. Locks CS1 and CS4 are single chamber locks while CS2 / CS3 are staircase locks. All lock chambers have the same dimensions: 328 feet long and 45 feet wide have 12 feet of water over the lock sills and provide hanging lines on the lock walls for your use.

The highest single lift on the canal is found at Locks CS2 and CS3 in Seneca Falls. Each having a lift of 24.5 feet each for a total lift of 49.0 feet. The smallest lift is found at lock CS1 with a lift of only 7.5 feet.

When southbound from the Cayuga-Seneca/Erie Canal Junction, lock CS1 will raise you approximately 7.5 feet from the Erie Canal to the level of Cayuga Lake at Cayuga, NY. If you turn westbound for Seneca Lake you will have an additional 63.5 feet of lift; for a total lift of 71.0 feet over the entire length of the canal.

Communications

Communications with the locks is done on VHF Channel 13 (156.650 MHz). While we have listed the phone numbers for each lock, the cell phone should not be considered a primary means of communications with the lockmasters and only used when all other methods have failed to get a response.

Cayuga-Seneca Locks Table

The table below lists the locks on the Cayuga-Seneca Canal from CS1, just south of the Erie Canal junction, to lock CS4 at Waterloo, NY. It provides the lifts for each lock, the distance to the next lock, and the estimated time enroute between locks. It does not include lockage time for each lock.

Cayuga - Seneca Canal Lock and Transit Table
Lock #	Mile Marker (SM)	Location	Lift	Next Lock	Distance (SM)	Transit Time @ 10 MPH	Lockmaster
Erie Canal Jct.	0.0	Kipp Island, NY	0.0’	CS1	4.04	00:24	----
CS1	4.04	Cayuga, NY	7.5’(SB NB)	CS2	3.97	00:24	315-253-7523
CS2	8.01	Seneca Falls, NY	24.5’(WB EB)	CS3	0.07	00:00	315-568-5797
CS3	8.08	Seneca Falls, NY	24.5’(WB EB)	CS4	4.23	00:25	315-568-5797
CS4	12.31	Waterloo, NY	14.5’(WB EB)	Seneca Lake	5.00	00:30	315-539-3242

The Cayuga-Seneca Locks Table above can be downloaded for your personal and private use. The file contains the table in SM’s, NM’s and KM’s/meters. The file is in Zipped Adobe (.pdf) format.

Cayuga-Seneca Canal Locks - Download

Lock Chamber Waypoints

The table below list the latitude and longitude for the approximate center of each lock chamber for those who wish to use them as waypoints.

The Cayuga-Seneca Canal Lock Chamber Waypoint’s can be downloaded for your personal and private use. The file is in Zipped Adobe (.pdf) format.

Cayuga-Seneca Canal Lock Chamber Waypoints - Download

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