Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor - Directions (U.S. National Park Service)

The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor covers 524 miles and encompasses over 200 communities. Here are Internet links to some affiliated organizations to help assist you in your travels:

**Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor --official site
Parks & Trails New York
Western Erie Canal Heritage Corridor Commission
New York State Canal Corporation

Several interstate highways cross the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. The New York State Thruway (I-90) roughly parallels the Erie Canalway route from Albany to Buffalo.

Perhaps the best way to explore canal country by car is along state and county roads that hug the water more closely and thread through the hamlets, villages, and cities that grew along the waterways. These are:

NY Rt. 31 in western New York
NY Rt. 5 and 5S in the east
NY Rt. 481 along the Oswego
...and a host of smaller roads in between them.

The Lakes to Locks Passage along the Champlain Canal and the Mohawk Towpath along the eastern end of Lake Erie have been designated National Scenic Byways.