Google maps is your friend. (Hint: Some sections of the modern canal are labelled "Pools Brook" ... It is an artificial waterway) The Erie canal uses the Mohawk River, Pools Brook, Oneida Lake. The western portion of the modern canal uses a manmade waterway from Lock #23 (Brewerton, NY) westward through Buffalo. Some of Pools Brook was decomissioned after it was built. But the rest remains in use. There were actually three canals: " *Clinton's Ditch* " (original canal ... b. 1817 --> 1825) Man-made and some natural water features. "Enlarged"/"Improved" Erie canal .... Now called the " *Old Erie Canal* " (b. circa 1835 --> 1860's with upgrades as late as 1900) ... Totally man-made with natural features (and sometimes the original canal's channels) used as feeders for the (now) "Old Erie Canal" " *Barge Canal* " (b. 1903/05 -->1918) Combination of natural and man-made features. (It was managed by the Barge Canal Corporation until 2013. This was built for coal and (later) diesel fueled canal boats. These boats were already in use within the much smaller "Old Erie Canal" (Times change .... Right?) In *2014* the state renamed the canal corporation to *New York State Canal Corporation* , and returned all of the existing (in use) canals in the state to their original names. (" *Erie Canal* ", " *Champlain Canal* " , " *Oswego Canal* " and " *Cayuga-Seneca Canal* ") In addition the state created the " *Empire State Trail* "[1] for hiking and biking that runs along ghe existing canal AND the " *Canalway Erie-Canal Trail* "[2] that runs along the decomissioned Old Erie Canal (and what remains of Clinton's Ditch ... original canal) both trails intersect in some areas. There are rest and picnic areas along both canal trails. The Canalway Trail goes through villages and there are a series of museums along the way. Canals that were abandoned, that at one time joined the Erie Canal, also exist in some places and have historic markers as various places along the roads that run near where the canals existed. These were (to name the larger ones): *Black River Canal* (Rome,NY to Carthage, NY near Lake Ontario) *Chenago Canal* (Binghamton, NY to Utica, NY on the Erie Canal) and the *Genesee Valley Canal* (Rochester to Olean, --"with a branch from Mount Morris paralleling Canaseraga Creek to Dansville." - (Wiki) This is part of the " *Genesee Valley Greenway* "[3] and includes Letchworth State Park (Note: The trail south of Letchworth State Park is VERY strenuous -- Not for the casual walker!) There are several You Tubers that have uploaded portions of their trips through the canals as well as other You Tubers who have recorded their trips to decomissioned locks and portions of the now-abandoned Clinton's Ditch and Old Erie Canal (At times the two ran parallel to each other with Clinton's ditch being filled in later (unless it was used as a feeder or a natrual creek had been widened for Clinton's Ditch (the original canal was not very deep or wide) Wikipedia has articles (basic information) about all of the highlighted names in this reply. The state also has canal museums (I know of Lockport and Syracuse) The local counties, municipalities, also have websites that mention the call and give information about the hours of operation. Even if you are not able to travel on the canal, hike or bike the trails it is possible to drive to the various points along most of the trails and just take a short walk, see a lock etc. [Note the number of locks changed over the years I think Clinton's Ditch had 84 locks, Old Erie Canal had 60-something (63?) locks and the modern Erie has 35 locks] (with a federal-run lock on both terminals of the Erie Canal). Some of the decomissioned locks are on Google maps with a parking area for vistors. It is amazing what people did with just human and animal muscle power to dig and to man winches to build the canal. Black powder (gun powder) was used in some places (in particular on the Niagra escarpment). ______________________________________ 1.) *Empire State Trail* empiretrail.ny.gov/ (Scroll down for the trails 2) *Canalway Trail* (about) canals.ny.gov/trails/about.html 3.) *Genesse Valley Greenway State Park* parks.ny.gov/parks/189/details.aspx

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