New York State Canalway Water Trail
 Today, non-motorized boating on the Canal System is an
increasingly popular recreational activity. The Canal System
is ideal for kayaks and canoes with many of the needed
resources already in place.
The Canal waterway offers excellent paddling opportunities
statewide. Some facilities, such as biker-hiker-boater
campsites being developed as part of the landside trail
program, can be shared with water trail users.
Muscle power-boating activity currently takes place along
the Canal System. The number of paddlers using the system
will be expanded significantly through improvements to
public access and through signage and marketing materials
geared toward this user group under the NYS Canalway Water Trail iniative.
The NYS Canalway Water Trail is an initiative to establish a coordinated 'trail' with boat launches and campsites along the shores of the 524-mile New York State Canal System, encouraging more types of motorized and non-motorized boaters to explore this historic resource. When complete, the NYS Canalway Water Trail will allow small boaters to intimately explore the NYS Canal System's natural, cultural and historic wonders, for a day, a week, or a lifetime. The demand for outdoor recreational access to the Canal has increased dramatically in the last decade.
The NYS Canalway Water Trail will be designed for both the 'day user', looking to spend a few hours on the Canal, and the long distance traveler, who wants to traverse the entire length of the Canal. The immediate need for the day user is to provide access points at approximately ten mile intervals on both sides of the Canal. To meet the needs of long distance paddlers, the Canal Corporation plans to work with volunteers, non-profit groups, communities, and other state agencies to build a long distance water trail system throughout New York State. Many new water trail facilities will be developed along the Canal System as a result of the
2006 Erie Canal Grant Program and other local, regional and state initiatives. When completed, the long distance portion of the water trail will provide overnight accommodations in the form of primitive campsites, at approximately 15 mile intervals, and will create a link to the Hudson River Valley Greenway Water Trail in Waterford, providing a network of continuous water trails from Manhattan to multiple regions in upstate New York.
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Related Information:
2006 ERIE CANAL GREENWAY GRANT PROGRAM |
