For those boaters and cruisers making the entire passage on the Erie Canal from Albany, NY to Buffalo, NY, Lake Erie, or beyond; there are a total of 36 locks that you will have to negotiate. The Federal Lock at Troy, NY operated by the USACE, 34 locks (E2 thru E35) on the Erie Canal operated by the New York State Canal System, and the Black Rock Lock also operated by the USACE.
NOTE: There is no Lock E1 or Lock E31 on the Erie Canal.
For those bound for Lake Ontario, you will have 23 locks; the federal lock at Troy, NY and Locks E2 thru E23 (NYSCS) before arriving at Three Rivers Junction and turning northbound for the Oswego Canal.
When westbound, these locks will raise you a little more than 563 feet, from the Hudson River on the eastern end to the Niagara River on the western end.
The highest single lift found on the canal is Lock #E17 in Little Falls, NY with a lift of 40.5 feet. The smallest lift is found on the western end of the canal at locks #E25 near the junction with the Cayuga-Seneca Canal and lock #E26 near Clyde, NY, with a total lift of only 6.0 feet each.
The highest combined lift on the Erie Canal is the "Waterford Flight" which is comprised of Locks #E-2 through #E-6. These five locks raise you a total of just over 169 feet over a distance of a little more than 1.5 SM.
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.
Erie Canal Locks Table
The table below lists the locks on the Erie Canal and its approaches: from the Troy Lock, just south of the Erie Canal Junction, the Erie Canal itself, and the Black Rock Lock on the Niagara River. 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.
Erie Canal Locks
Lock #
Mile Marker (SM)
Location
Lift
Next Lock
Distance (SM)
Transit Time @ 10 MPH
Lockmaster
Troy Lock
154.0
Troy, NY
14.2’(NB SB)
E-2
3.43
00:21
518 272-6442
E-2
0.63
Waterford
33.6’(WB EB)
E-3
0.46
00:03
518-237-0810
E-3
1.09
Waterford
34.5’(WB EB)
E-4
0.51
00:03
518-237-0812
E-4
1.60
Waterford
34.5’(WB EB)
E-5
0.27
00:02
518-237-0818
E-5
1.87
Waterford
33.3’(WB EB)
E-6
0.28
00:02
518-237-0821
E-6
2.15
Crescent
33.0’(WB EB)
E-7
10.92
01:06
518-237-4014
E-7
13.07
Vischer Ferry
27.0’(WB EB)
E-8
10.97
01:06
518-374-7912
E-8
24.04
Scotia
14.0’(WB EB)
E-9
5.03
00:30
518-346-3382
E-9
29.07
Rotterdam
15.0’(WB EB)
E-10
5.95
00:36
518-887-2401
E-10
35.02
Cranesville
15.0’(WB EB)
E-11
4.27
00:26
518-887-5450
E-11
39.29
Amsterdam
12.0’(WB EB)
E-12
6.23
00:37
518-843-2120
E-12
45.52
Tribes Hill
11.0’(WB EB)
E-13
7.60
00:46
518-829-7331
E-13
53.12
Yosts
8.0’(WB EB)
E-14
7.83
00:47
518-922-6173
E-14
60.95
Canajoharie
8.0’(WB EB)
E-15
3.35
00:20
518-673-3314
E-15
64.30
Fort Plain
8.0’(WB EB)
E-16
6.72
00:40
518-993-4161
E-16
71.02
St Johnsville
20.5’(WB EB)
E-17
7.97
00:48
518-568-2636
E-17
78.99
Little Falls, NY
40.5’(WB EB)
E-18
4.20
00:25
315-823-0650
E-18
83.19
Jacksonburg
20.0’(WB EB)
E-19
11.85
01:11
315-823-2419
E-19
95.04
Frankfort
21.0’(WB EB)
E-20
10.28
01:02
315-733-5041
E-20
105.32
Whitesboro
16.0’(WB EB)
E-21
18.10
01:49
315-736-4617
E-21
123.42
New London
25.0’(WB EB)
E-22
1.32
00:08
315-336-8229
E-22
124.74
New London
25.1’(WB EB)
E-23
28.91
02:53
315-336-4329
E-23
153.65
Brewerton
6.9’(WB EB)
E-24
18.77
01:53
315-676-4171
Oswego Canal Jct.
160.45
From Lock E23
6.80
00:41
E-24
172.42
Baldwinsville
11.0’(WB EB)
E-25
30.69
03:04
315-635-3101
Cayuga-Seneca Canal Jct.
201.51
From Lock E24
29.09
02:55
E-25
172.42
May's Point
6.0’(WB EB)
E-26
5.83
00:35
315-365-3241
E-26
208.94
Clyde
6.0’(WB EB)
E-27
12.05
01:12
315-923-9720
E-27
220.99
Lyons
12.5’(WB EB)
E-28A
1.28
00:08
315-946-4062
E-28A
222.27
Lyons
19.5’(WB EB)
E-28B
3.98
00:24
315-946-4410
E-28B
226.25
Newark
12.0’(WB EB)
E-29
9.79
00:59
315-331-3296
E-29
236.04
Palmyra
16.0’(WB EB)
E-30
2.98
00:18
315-597-4691
E-30
239.02
Macedon
16.4’(WB EB)
E-32
16.12
01:37
315-986-5631
E-32
255.14
Pittsford
25.1’(WB EB)
E-33
1.26
00:08
585-586-1837
E-33
256.40
Rochester
25.1’(WB EB)
E-34
64.28
06:26
585-244-2150
E-34
320.68
Lockport
24.6’(WB EB)
E-35
0.07
00:00
716-434-3140
E-35
320.75
Lockport
24.5’(WB EB)
Black Rock Lock
25.90
02:35
716-434-3140
*No Lock E1 or Lock E31 on the Erie Canal
Troy Lock and Black Rock Lock are not part of the Erie Canal System. They are operated by the USACE.
The Erie Canal 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.
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.
Erie Canal Lock Chamber Waypoints
Troy Lock
42°45.087’ N
73°41.124' W
Lock E19
43°04.426' N
75°06.830' W
Lock E2
42°47.347’ N
73°40.908’ W
Lock E20
43°08.565' N
75°17.471' W
Lock E3
42°47.691’ N
73°41.168’ W
Lock E21
43°12.526' N
75°37.114' W
Lock E4
42°48.047’ N
73°41.485’ W
Lock E22
43°12.570' N
75°38.695' W
Lock E5
42°48.129’ N
73°41.777’ W
Lock E23
43°14.327' N
76°11.780' W
Lock E6
42°48.171' N
73°42.104' W
Lock E24
43°09.350' N
76°19.968' W
Lock E7
42°48.194' N
73°50.824' W
Lock E25
42°59.927' N
76°45.707' W
Lock E8
42°49.760' N
73°59.483' W
Lock E26
43°03.543' N
76°50.291' W
Lock E9
42°52.720' N
74°02.474' W
Lock E27
43°03.734' N
76°59.767' W
Lock E10
42°55.025' N
74°08.447' W
Lock E28A
43°03.749' N
77°01.190' W
Lock E11
42°56.797' N
74°12.606' W
Lock E28B
43°02.818' N
77°05.080' W
Lock E12
42°56.735' N
74°17.315' W
Lock E29
43°03.916' N
77°14.923' W
Lock E13
42°55.063' N
74°26.734' W
Lock E30
43°04.400' N
77°18.113' W
Lock E14
42°54.564' N
74°34.663' W
Lock E32
43°05.472' N
77°32.694' W
Lock E15
42°56.318' N
74°37.323' W
Lock E33
43°05.756' N
77°34.165' W
Lock E16
42°59.535' N
74°42.515' W
Lock E34
43°10.262'N
78°41.560'W
Lock E17
43°02.301' N
74°50.802' W
Lock E35
43°10.220'N
78°41.611'W
Lock E18
43°00.971' N
74°55.015' W
Black Rock Lock
42°56.072'N
78°54.376'W
NOT FOR NAVIGATION
These waypoints are distributed in the hope that they will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. The author assumes no liability for damages arising from the use of these waypoints.
The Erie Canal Lock Chamber Waypoint’s Table can be downloaded for your personal and private use. The file is in Zipped Adobe (.pdf) format.