New York State Canal, to get to the United States by boat
NEW YORK STATE CANAL
You’ve bought a boat on the East Coast of the USA, or you’re on vacation in the USA, and you want to get to, say, New York safely and comfortably, so you can start your journey to, say, Florida or Boston.
I mean other than taking the Atlantic Ocean via the St. Lawrence River, followed by the Gulf and finally off the coast of Nova Scotia to Maine (Portland) and then Boston.
In fact, it’s possible to access the major American cities via a network of canals linking Great Lake Ontario, Great Lake Erie and, of course, Lake Champlain.
To reach New York via Lake Champlain, or to reach New York via Lake Ontario via Oswego, we use the infrastructure of the NEW YORK STATE CANAL.
This lock system connects the city of Albany with New York City via the Hudson River.
There is one important restriction to consider when using these canals. It’s the height of the bridges along the way.
To avoid unpleasant surprises, you should always check before crossing under a bridge whether there are any obstacles underneath, such as repairs, and this of course applies to every bridge.
So the height of the boat above the water becomes a very important factor.
Depending on the route, bridge heights vary by a few feet.
In Oswego, the boat’s air draft, or Bridge Clearance, must be under 21 feet (21.31 ft).
.
On Lake Champlain, the air draft must be below 17 feet.
How many locks are there on the Champlain Canal, from Albany to Lake Champlain?
Answer: 11 locks.
There are a total of 11 locks on the Champlain Canal. All the locks in the New York State canal system are single-chamber, 328 feet (100 m) long and 45 feet (14 m) wide, with a minimum water depth of 12 feet (3.7 m) above the upstream gate miter thresholds at lift-off.
To get from Albany to Oswego, you have 19 locks to get to the beginning of the Oswego Canal, which contains 7 locks.
So there are many more locks to go through to get to Lake Ontario via Oswego than there are to go through Lake Champlain to get to Quebec. But air draught must be respected depending on the route.
In a nutshell:
Today, New York’s canal system has 57 locks, including 34 on the Erie Canal, 11 on the Champlain Canal, seven on the Oswego Canal and four on the Cayuga-Seneca Canal.
These locks will be open for the 2025 season from May 16 to November 3, 2025 on an exceptional basis. However, from Oct. 15 to Nov. 3, lock opening times may vary widely, so please make an appointment with the organization.
So from May 16 to Oct 15, these are the usual hours, which also overlap with the operating period of the Park Canada locks, which for the year 2025 will be open from May 16 to October 13.
If you’re planning to sail to Florida, you also have the INTRACOSTAL, which allows you to avoid the sea, especially when there’s a very good wave. So you’ll be perfectly safe on your way to Florida.
It takes about 8 to 12 days to sail to Florida.
The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is a 4,800 km waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. It runs from Massachusetts south along the Atlantic coast and around the southern tip of Florida, then follows the Gulf Coast to Brownsville, Texas. Some sections of the waterway are made up of natural inlets, saltwater rivers, bays and inlets, while others are man-made canals.
It offers a navigable route along its entire length, without the many dangers associated with high-seas navigation.
Enjoy the NEW YORK STATE CANAL and the Intracoastal (waterway).
Click here for the direct link to web site of New York Canal for the recents news.
Of course, this is also the route to THE GREAT LOOP.
We’ve written a number of related articles.
For the Quebec / Florida route, click here.
For THE GREAT LOOP, click here.
The brokers at Ita Yachts Canada and its BoatOwner division wish you every success with your travel plans.
DISCLAIMER
The article presented on this page is for information purposes only. This information is provided as editorial (i.e. opinion). The information presented in this article is presented in good faith and, while believed to be correct, is not guaranteed. Ita Yachts Canada does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of the information and/or images displayed, as they do not suggest anything in relation to this article, indeed no association can be made with respect to the images and the article. All information in this article is subject to change without notice and is without warranty. It is the reader’s responsibility to verify the descriptions and statements contained in this article. The brokers at Ita Yachts Canada assume no responsibility for any conclusions the reader may draw. The purpose of this article is to promote boating in all its forms. It gives one point of view among many. Any reproduction of this article is prohibited.
