League Staff Favorites: Canal Edition
The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor is a defining feature of New York State and one of our most important historic resources. With its future as a fully-navigable waterway uncertain, we recently listed the canal system on our 2020-2021 Seven to Save list of endangered sites. Thankfully, there are so many ways to enjoy the NYS Barge Canal System. Heritage tourism in canalside communities, boat tours, kayaking, biking along the towpath, walking or running, and a variety of events and festivals popping up along its 500+ mile stretch all year. A few of us decided it would be fun to share our own favorite ways to experience the canal. What are yours?
I love the section of the bike trail that runs through Schenectady. The Mohawk-Hudson Bikeway runs along the Mohawk River, but for a section it takes you through the streets of Schenectady — specifically down Union Street through the Stockade and onto Jay Street, Schenectady’s “Little Italy.” If you want to veer slightly off course, the Stockade is worth a few extra minutes of exploration. It was the first Historic District established in NYS, boasting a mix of early 18th through early 20th century structures (it was also one of our 2016-17 Seven to Save sites). And not technically part of the Erie Canal trail, Riverfront Park in the Stockade is situated on the Mohawk and is also a great place to bike or stroll. Sticking to the trail, once you get to Jay Street I recommend stopping at Perecca’s for a slice of tomato pie and Civitello’s for their famous lemon ice before continuing on for the rest of your car-free bike ride. It’s a beautiful stretch of trail and it’s perfect for serious bikers as well as people like me, who can technically ride a bike, but still sometimes forget how to use my gears properly.
Katy Peace, Director of Communications
This photo shows the tranquility of the canal during a summer sunset, with a modern road bridge and guard gate in the distance.
It is so hard to choose my favorite spot along the Erie Canal, but I have loved Genesee Valley Park since I was a kid growing up in Rochester a mile away. There was a trail along the canal long before anyone conceived of an Empire State Trail and I spent many hours biking along it, thinking of all those who traveled the tow path before me. Genesee Valley Park is where the Genesee River and Erie Canal meet, marked by a series of bridges designed by the Olmsted Brothers in the early 20th century (and listed on the Preservation League's 2014-15 Seven to Save).
Erin Tobin, Vice President for Policy & Preservation
Years ago I enjoyed traveling through the locks between Cayuga Lake and Seneca Falls with my family. We would take our pontoon boat from Union Springs on the east side of Cayuga up to the top and across to Seneca Lake and along the canal to end up at Seneca Falls, where we would dock, get out, get lunch, and walk around the historic town. Now, the canal represents for me a lifetime worth of bucket list items, from bicycling the canal from Buffalo to Schenectady to paddle boarding day trips on the canal.
Janna Rudler, Southern Tier Field Consultant
The annual Waterford Tugboat roundup takes place along a quarter mile of the Erie Canal and at Lock E2 Park. The Tugboat Roundup typically features about 30 tugs and other vessels including working tugs, historic tugs, mini-tugs, and barges. Highlights include Tug talks and the popular Tug parade. This is a great family-friendly event that brings together canal and tug enthusiasts who appreciate the historic canal system as both a working canal as well as a recreational asset.
The Preservation League attended this event in 2018 to protect New York's historic canal fleet, including the Tug Urger, which was slated to be disabled and beached. The League continues to advocate for Urger, as well as all the important contributing components of the National Historic Landmark New York State Canal System.
Christina Hingle, Preservation Policy Manager