Following is a list of the locks of the current Erie Canal, from east to west. (Courtesy of Wikipedia.) There are a total of 36 (35 numbered) locks on the Erie Canal.

All locks on the New York State Canal System are single-chamber; the dimensions are 328 feet (100 m) long and 45 feet (14 m) wide with a minimum 12-foot (3.7 m) depth of water over the miter sills at the upstream gates upon lift. They can accommodate a vessel up to 300 feet (91 m) long and 43.5 feet (13.3 m) wide. Overall sidewall height will vary by lock, ranging between 28 and 61 feet (8.5 and 18.6 m) depending on the lift and navigable stages.

Lock E17 at Little Falls has the tallest sidewall height at 80 feet (24 m).

The Waterford Flight series of locks (comprising Locks E2 through E6) is one of the steepest in the world, lifting boats 169 feet (52 m) in less than 2 miles (3.2 km).

From the list above you can see the six overnight stops we made along the Erie Canal – Waterford, Scotia, Canajoharie, Little Falls, Rome, and Phoenix – from July 5 to July 11.

We have to admit – the days were long and some locks more challenging than others. You donned your gloves, grabbed a line hanging from the top of the wall or wrapped your line around a cable rod and hung on until the lock gate opened and then off you went. The only real misstep was we lost a bumper just before entering the lock and turned the boat around and retrieved it from the water. Embarrassing as we held up the other boats already in the lock.

The journey from Waterford to Scotia was especially trying for Captain Pat as his navigation system wasn’t showing him an accurate route. We anchored out in Scotia and realized the next day we weren’t at the right location (but still ok.) Pat got with our friend Mitch Lairmore who showed him how to download Navionics. What a difference that made! We are so grateful for Mitch and Anne – many of these photos are credited to them. And we appreciate their research and help selecting where we would dock for the evening.

The next two stops, Canajoharie and Little Falls, were your typical small towns along the Canal. We really got a taste of Americana visiting these towns. And we met some more interesting people along the way.

Here are photos from Scotia, Canajoharie, and Little Falls.

The Arkell Museum has an extensive collection of American paintings, primarily from 1860–1940, as well as historical exhibits about the history of the Mohawk River Valley and the Beech-Nut babyfood company. The Canajoharie Library was founded in 1924, and a gallery was added in 1927. The museum was originally built to house copies of European masterpieces and original 19th-century American paintings collected by Bartlett Arkell, then the town’s leading industrialist.