The Canandaigua Outlet is a main tributary which feeds the

Erie Canal The Erie Canal is a historic canal in upstate New York that runs east-west between the Hudson River and Lake Erie. Completed in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, vastly reducing t ...

and Clyde River in

Wayne County, New York Wayne County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 91,283. The county seat is Lyons. The name honors General Anthony Wayne, an American Revolutionary War hero and American statesman. Wayne Coun ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It begins at

Canandaigua Lake Canandaigua Lake is the fourth largest of the Finger Lakes in the U.S. state of New York. The City of Canandaigua is located at the northern end of the lake and the village of Naples is several miles south of the southern end. It is the we ...

in nearby Ontario County and flows approximately north before emptying into the Erie Canal in the hamlet of

Lyons Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of th ...

. A number of tributaries feed the Canandaigua Outlet along its route. It is the primary outflow for Canandaigua Lake. The Canandaigua Outlet is part of the Clyde River watershed which feeds the Seneca River. From there, the Seneca River enters the Oswego River and into

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border sp ...

. It is used for

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

as well as whitewater

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other acti ...

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

and

rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

Course

The Canandaigua Outlet begins as a natural outflow on the north end of Canandaigua Lake in the city of

Canandaigua Canandaigua (; ''Utaʼnaráhkhwaʼ'' in Tuscarora) is a city in Ontario County, New York, United States. Its population was 10,545 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Ontario County; some administrative offices are at the county complex ...

. From there, the outlet travels northeast past the Muar Lakes through the town of

and into the neighboring town of Hopewell. A man-made feeder canal also enters the outlet from Canandaigua Lake to help with drainage. Both outlets from the lake are controlled by gates which are managed by the City of Canandaigua. Passing through the community of Chapin, the Canandaigua Outlet continues north through the villages of

Shortsville Shortsville, officially the Village of Shortsville, is a village in Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 1,439 at the time of the 2010 U.S. Census. Shortsville encompasses the southwestern part of the Town of Manchester an ...

and

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. Following the

New York State Thruway {{Infobox road , state = NY , type = NYST , alternate_name = Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway , maint = NYSTA , map = {{maplink, frame=yes, plain=yes, frame-align=center, frame-width=290, type=line, stroke-width=2, type2=line, from2=New Yor ...

, the outlet heads east through the town of

passing just north of the village of Clifton Springs and into the community of Gypsum. Continuing on through the town and village of

Phelps Phelps may refer to: Places in the United States * Phelps, Kentucky * Phelps, Michigan, an unincorporated community * Phelps, New York ** Phelps (village), New York * Phelps, Wisconsin, a town ** Phelps (community), Wisconsin, an unincorporated co ...

, the Canandaigua Outlet turns back north towards Wayne County. It passes through the community of Alloway in the town of

before entering the Erie Canal at Lock #27 along Leach Road in the hamlet of Lyons, just north of NY Route 31.

Tributaries

There are six primary tributaries feeding the Canandaigua Outlet which are part of its watershed although other minor waterways directly enter it as well. Tributaries from the right include Freshour Creek in Hopewell, Sulphur Creek in Clifton Springs, and Rocky Run in the towns of Hopewell and Manchester. Flint Creek, which begins in Steuben County, also enters from the right after traveling through

Yates County Yates County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 24,774, making it the third-least populous county in New York. The county seat is Penn Yan. The name is in honor of Joseph C. Yates, who as Govern ...

and through the towns of Gorham,

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...

and Phelps in Ontario County. On the left side is Padelford Brook in the towns of Canandaigua and Manchester along with Black Creek in the towns of

Farmington Farmington may refer to: Places Canada *Farmington, British Columbia * Farmington, Nova Scotia (disambiguation) United States *Farmington, Arkansas *Farmington, California *Farmington, Connecticut *Farmington, Delaware * Farmington, Georgia * ...

and Manchester.

Places of interest

Three parks are located along the Canandaigua Outlet in Ontario County: Kershaw Park and Lagoon Park in Canandaigua and Jones-Blunt Park in Shortsville. The annual Wild Water Derby takes place every April in Shortsville and Manchester for class II & III whitewater canoeing, kayaking and rafting. Cheerful Valley Campground is also located near the Canandaigua Outlet on NY Route 14 in the town of Phelps between Lyons and

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

History

Use of the Canandaigua Outlet dates back to pre-

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

times. Before the Erie Canal was constructed in 1817, the Canandaigua Outlet merged with

Ganargua Creek Ganargua Creek, also known as Mud Creek, is a main tributary which feeds the Erie Canal and Clyde River in Wayne County, New York, United States. The creek begins just east of the village of Victor in nearby Ontario County and meanders approxim ...

in Lyons to form the Clyde River.

References

{{authority control Rivers of New York (state) Erie Canal Rivers of Wayne County, New York Rivers of Ontario County, New York

Course

Tributaries

Places of interest

History

See also

References