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Things to do: Locks How can a boat climb a waterfall? How can a barge travel over rapids? The simple fact is: they can’t. Canals are built to dodge these boating hazards using a series of locks and levels. Locks are elevators for boats, lifting and lowering them as they travel along the waterway.  Lake Erie is 570 feet higher than the Hudson River at Albany. On the original Erie Canal, 83 stone-walled locks lifted and lowered boats in an irregular staircase across New York.Sixteen locks were required to climb out of the deep Hudson Valley past Cohoes Falls near the mouth of the Mohawk River. The canal climbed steadily along the Mohawk from Schenectady to another steep rise at Little Falls. From there the long level—a 58-mile stretch of flat water requiring no lock—carried boats over a drainage divide at Rome and on to relatively flat terrain south of Oneida Lake and north of the Finger Lakes. The final barrier westward was at Lockport where two, five-lock staircases, called “the Lockport Flight,” climbed the steep Niagara escarpment. A deep rock cut then opened a watery path on to Lake Erie and the upper Great Lakes.  Visit a lock!Today, many of the NYS Canal System’s 57 locks include waterfront parks for picnicking, fishing, playing, or just sitting on the banks and watching boats. Children will especially enjoy a visit to the locks. Their massive concrete doors and mechanical gears, as well as the opportunity to watch boats of all sizes as they are raised or lowered fascinates all ages. There are 57 locks in the canal system, including: |
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Locks numbers sometimes skip in sequence. | ||
| The Erie Canal has no Lock 31, the Oswego is missing Lock 4, and the Champlain Canal has no Lock 10! |
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| Tips for Locking Through > |
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what is that? guide to common canal structures > | ||
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