The Field GuideSeasonal & Practical

Features & Itineraries

When to go, where to point the bow, and how to spend a weekend on the water — foliage cruising, multi-day itineraries, and honest best-of guides to the towns, docks, and stretches worth the trip. Sourced like everything here; seasonal timing is guidance, so confirm before you travel.

How-to How to Lock Through the Erie Canal The locks are the part new canal boaters fear most — and the easiest part of the trip. A first-timer’s step-by-step guide, from hailing on VHF 13 to idling out the far gates. Read the feature →

Seasonal

Foliage Cruising the Erie Canal in Fall Foliage The most beautiful two weeks on the canal fall right at the edge of the navigation season. Here’s how to time an autumn passage — and where to catch the color the boats can’t reach. Read →

Itineraries

Itinerary A Long Weekend on the Erie Canal Three days, some 360 miles of history — the essential Erie Canal itinerary, east to west, with the marquee stops worth planning your weekend around. Read →