Canandaigua - Biking the Erie Canalway

Hi Blog! Today we set out to bike part of the Erie Canalway Trail. We picked a 12 mile stretch from Palmyra to Farpoint (I mean Fairport). The Canalway spans 524 miles across the full expanse of upstate New York. It includes the Erie, Cayuga-Seneca, Oswego, and Champlain Canals and their historic alignments. Here is Kathy at the trailhead in Palmyra.

As you can see in the above photo, we were bundled up. There is a definite chill in the air. While not a National Park, the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor was created by Congress in 2000.  The federally-appointed Erie Canalway Commission is tasked with managing activities of the National Heritage Corridor. It receives financial support and technical assistance through the National Park Service. Since there are active locks on the canal through which boats still cruise to make a journey from Lake Erie to the Hudson River, or into the Finger Lakes, those locks are also run by the Commission.

Here is the old lock powerhouse, which generated power to run the lock gates.  Note the spillway in the basement.

First proposed in 1807, canal construction began in 1817. The canal contained 36 locks and a total elevation differential of about 565 feet. It opened on October 26, 1825. Here is a look east down Ganargua Creek where it joins the canal.

Here are the remains of the "Mud Creek" Aqueduct next to the towpath bridge. The stone supports are all that is left of the wooden canal prism. The aqueduct was 94 feet long and used three spans to cross the creek, which is officially called Ganargua Creek, even though most folks call it Mud Creek.

Here Dave takes a moment to unlock the legend that is the Erie Canal. An ambitious program to improve the canal began in 1834. During this massive series of construction projects, known as the First Enlargement, the canal was widened to 70 feet and deepened to 7 feet. Locks were widened and/or rebuilt in new locations, and many new navigable aqueducts were constructed. The canal was straightened and slightly re-routed in some stretches, resulting in the abandonment of short segments of the original 1825 canal. The First Enlargement was completed in 1862, with further minor enlargements in later decades. You can learn lots of cool stuff by stopping and reading what we call the "hysterical" markers.

All recreational vessels passing through any lock or lift bridge on the Canal System must purchase either a Seasonal Pass, a Ten-Day Pass.  For boats over 39 feet the toll is $50.00 for a ten day pass. Smaller vessels of course, have a smaller fee.  Small price to pay to pass through all 83 locks.

Here is lock Number 30, which located west of Palmyra in the Village of Macedon. We had a chance to chat with the lock master.  He had a total of two customers today.

There were several long stretches where we had the trail all to ourselves.  Occasionally we were rewarded with some brilliant splashes of color along the canal:

A small community of cottages and "park model" mobile homes has sprung up along the tow path.

This is one of the longest and straightest sections.  It seemed pretty lonely at first. Where are all the cottages, boat slips and marinas?  In a matter of minutes, three different trains passed. We learned that just beyond the trees on the right are several rail lines and the High Acres Landfill. Yep, no cottages here. While it might have been a bit noisy, it didn't diminish our views.

We managed to catch a train as it approached. Love this perspective - river, road and rail.

Here is one of only two boats that passed by today.  We never did see the second one.  Because of the height limits on some of the fixed bridges that cross the canal, this sailboat had to take its mast down.

Here is our first encounter with Farpoint (I mean Fairport). Fairport is a suburb 9 miles east of Rochester. It was known as the "Crown Jewel of the Erie Canal" when the canal was in active commercial operation.  In 2005, it was named as one of Money Magazine's "Best Places to Live."

We stopped for lunch at Donnelly's Public House and had a difficult time choosing one of the 33 beers on tap!

After lunch, it was time to retrace our route back to Palmyra.  Before mounting our bikes again, we climbed an old bridge and looked out over the canal and downtown Fairport.

The Colonial Belle, shown below on the left bank of the canal, is a popular tour boat that offers canal cruises.  This stretch of the canal sees many public events as well.

Further east on the canal back toward Palmyra, Mid-Lakes Erie Macedon Landing offers a comfortable stop or convenient base for the canal traveler in Macedon, NY between Fairport and Palmyra. With the convenience of wireless internet, canallers can share their travel experiences with friends and family at home or continue research into the rich vacation treasures that lie ahead. You can also rent a houseboat or take a canal cruise.  Below, we caught a glimpse of one of the cruise boats at the landing:

Eventually, we reached Macedon, where Lock 30 is located and which we show in one of the photos above.  The village erected this pavilion and dedicated and renamed it the "Elmer Clark Pavilion" to honor all of the work Mr. Clark had done as a volunteer for the community of Macedon.

After a brief tour of Lock 30 at Macedon, it was time to get back on our bikes.  Here, it looks like our shadows beat us to the punch and grabbed the bikes first:

Before long, we found ourselves back in Palmyra and and we loaded up our bikes. This was the end of a great ride. Tomorrow starts another adventure - Birthday Weekend!