Erie Canal
Explore Rochester Series
ERIE CANAL: Today the Erie Canal is a popular site for recreation all year-long.
The towpath is frequented by walkers, joggers, and bikers year-round. Mid-May to October you will find leisure boats, crew teams, and tour boats on the waterway.
TOUR BOAT CRUISES: Tour Boat Cruises are a great way to experience the canal.
Colonial Belle
400 Packett’s Landing Fairport
(585)223-9470
Jazz 90.1 Jazz and Blues Cruises aboard the Colonial Bell
Jazz Cruises include: a light meal on board, a cash bar, live entertainment, and a cruise
The 2022 Schedule:
6/13: The Laura Dubin Duo $35
7/11: Jimmie Highsmith Jr. $35
8/15: The Bill Tiberio Band $45
9/14: Hanna PK and the Blue Hearts $35
Sam Patch Canal Tours
12 Schoen Place Pittsford, NY
(585)662-5748
RENT A BOAT: Get out on the canal by renting a Canoe, Kayak, Paddle Boat, or Bike.
Erie Canal Boat Company:
7 Liftbridge Ln in Fairport
(585)748-2628
Towpath Bike Rental
21 Schoen Place Pittsford
(585)381-2808
BOAT LAUNCHES: There are boat launches and docking facilities along the canal.
BUSHNELL’S BASIN DOCKS
GREAT EMBANKMENT PARK
631 Marsh Road Pittsford, NY
FAIRPORT VILLAGE
7 Liftbridge Lane W. Fairport, NY
KREAG ROAD BOAT LAUNCH
426 Ayrault Road Fairport, NY
PITTSFORD
2800 Clover Road Pittsford, NY
FACTS:
#1-If you tow a boat, there are nearly 80 public boat ramps along the NYS Canal System.
#2-Fairport is known as the “Crown Jewel of the Erie Canal”
it’s a charming village on the canal with beautiful parks, restaurants, and shops to explore all a walking distance from the canal.
#3-Perinton Park: provides direct access to the Erie Canal and the Canalway Trail, including overnight docking.
#4-Fairport Village Market is home to a variety of retail shops, restaurants, and a library.
#5-There are several options for great food and drinks in Fairport:
Faircraft Brauhaus| Fairpour Coffee Roasters| Fairport Brewing Co.| Fairport Village Inn| Iron Smoke Distillery| Mac’s Philly Steaks| Moonlight Creamery| Mulconry’s Irish Pub| TK’s Pizzeria
#6-A variety of shopping experiences lie within the Historic Village of Pittsford and along Schoen Place. They are all walkable from the canal.
#7-There are several options for great food and drinks in Pittsford:
Aladdin’s Natural Eatery| Copper Leaf Brewing| Erie Grill| Jojo’s American Bistro| Label 7
Lock 32 Brewing Co.| Pittsford Dairy| Pittsford Pub| Simply Crepes| Via Girasole Wine Bar
#8-There are lots of Parks to Explore along the Canal:
Carpenter Park-Pittsford| Erie Canal Nature Preserve-Pittsford| Great Embankment-Pittsford
Canal Park-Greece| Lock 33 Canal Park-Rochester| Lock 62 Canal Park-Rochester| Towpath Park Spencerport
ERIE CANAL HISTORICAL FACTS:
#1-The idea of canals has been around since the early eighteenth century.
#2-In 1808 the mayor of New York City, De Witt Clinton planned the construction of the Erie Canal. He and Governor Morris went to Washington to ask for money to help construct the Canal, but they were turned down. Then, Clinton petitioned the New York State legislature so they could finally build the Erie Canal.
#3-One of the most revolutionary canals ever built was the Erie Canal.
#4-The Erie Canal is a 200-year-old modern engineering marvel.
#5-The Erie Canal was over 363 miles long, 28’ wide at the top and 40” wide at the bottom, and 4’ deep.
#6-The Erie Canal was built from the Hudson River to Lake Erie.
#7-The Erie Canal connected the Atlantic Ocean and its burgeoning cities and ports to the Great Lakes system.
#8-The Erie Canal was built by the state of New York construction began on July 4, 1817.
#9-The Erie Canal was completed in 1825. It took 8-years to construct the Erie Canal. It was constructed by tens of thousands of laborers working with hand tools.
#10-Some people were very skeptical, though. They called it “Clinton’s big ditch”.
#11-It cost over 7 million dollars to construct.
#12-The Erie Canal transformed Rochester into “The Young Lion of the West.”
#13-It was so big it contained 18 aqueducts and 83 locks.
#14-Between 1836 and 1862, they greatly enlarged the Erie Canal. It was 70’ wide and 7’ deep. They decreased the number of locks to 72. In 1903, they decided they were going to make it even bigger. It was then 12-14’ deep and 120-200’ wide and 363 miles long. Then the number of locks was increased by 57.
#15-The Erie Canal opened not only western New York–but the entire Midwest and western United States to settlement, agriculture, and industry. It led New York to industrialization. The Erie Canal made the port of New York the busiest in the nation.
#16-After the Erie Canal, new towns have been constructed and New York City became the fasted growing city. The population went from about 1,500 to 36,400. But by 1850, the population of New York was about three million.
#17-It cut the cost of shipping from $100 a ton to $8 a ton.
#18-In 1836, it was able to ship 369,000 barrels of grain, making it a major grain processor.
Between 1820 and 1840, manufacturing in New York increased by 262%. It brought New York luxury goods and many tourists. Some people viewed it as revolutionary.
#19-Rochester’s canal side villages and hamlets: Fairport, Pittsford, Bushnell’s Basin, Spencerport, and Brockport.
#20-After a century of service-punctuated by widenings to accommodate larger and larger vessels-the canal ceased to course through the heart of downtown Rochester; the amazing aqueduct over the Genesee River became the Rochester subway bed and then the Broad Street Road bridge.
#21-The New York State Barge Canal was routed along the south border of the city, where it now crosses the Genesee River in Genesee Valley Park in a fascinating four-way water intersection.
#22-Today, the canal remains one of the great engineering marvels in world history and is a four-season recreational and historical treasure.
#23-The Canalway Trail runs from Albany to Buffalo it intersects with the outstanding Genesee Riverway Trail, which bisects the city, running from Genesee Valley Park to Lake Ontario.
