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| Things to do: Locks & Canal Structures New York’s canal system is famous for its engineering. In many places, you can still see stone locks and bridges used in the 1800s, as well as locks, lift bridges, and guard gates used to operate the canal today. |
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| Guide to Common Canal Structures slide show > |
Time Lapse Journey Through a Lock video > |
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| 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. Levels are long stretches of flat water between the locks. The Erie Canal climbs 570 feet in elevation from the Hudson River to Lake Erie. The two largest climbs on the Erie Canal are the Waterford Flight—a series of five locks that raise (or lower) boats nearly 150 feet, and the Lockport Flight—two locks with a combined elevation change of 50 feet. You’ll find the largest single lock at Little Falls—Lock 17 raises and lowers boats 49 feet. |
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| Waterfront Parks 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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| find locks and canal structures near you > |
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Lock 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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