Rome & Oneida Lake
3 towns · 3 locks · 18 docks & marinas · 15 launches & ramps · 50 places
At Rome the canal reaches its summit — the old “Great Carrying Place” portage between the Mohawk and the western waters, where the first shovelful of the Erie Canal was turned in 1817. West of Rome the canal descends toward its most striking natural feature: Oneida Lake.
Oneida is the largest lake entirely within New York, and the canal route runs straight across it. It’s big, shallow water, and the crossing is the single most serious hazard on the whole trip — west winds build steep waves fast. The beach town of Sylvan Beach guards the east end and Brewerton the west, the two places to shelter and wait out wind.
Read the open-water advisory before you plan this stretch: see the paddling guide and boating guide, and always check the marine forecast.
