The Champlain Canal is a

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow un ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

that connects the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

to the south end of

Lake Champlain , native_name_lang = , image = Champlainmap.svg , caption = Lake Champlain-River Richelieu watershed , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = New York/Vermont in the United States; and Quebec in Canada , coords = , type = , ...

. It was simultaneously constructed with 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 ...

for use by commercial vessels, fully opening in 1823. Today, it is mostly used by recreational boaters as part of the

New York State Canal System The New York State Canal System (formerly known as the New York State Barge Canal) is a successor to the Erie Canal and other canals within New York. Currently, the system is composed of the Erie Canal, the Oswego Canal, the Cayuga–Seneca Cana ...

and

Lakes to Locks Passage The American Lakes to Locks Passage and the corresponding Canadian is a scenic byway in northeastern New York in the United States and in southern Quebec in Canada. The byway unifies the interconnected waterway of the upper Hudson River, Cham ...

History

An early proposal made in the 1790s by

Marc Isambard Brunel Sir Marc Isambard Brunel (, ; 25 April 1769 – 12 December 1849) was a French-British engineer who is most famous for the work he did in Britain. He constructed the Thames Tunnel and was the father of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Born in Franc ...

for a Hudson River–Lake Champlain canal was not approved. Another proposal for the canal was made in 1812 and construction authorized in 1817. By 1818, were completed, and in 1819 the canal was opened from Fort Edward to Lake Champlain. The canal was officially opened on September 10, 1823. It was an immediate financial success, and carried substantial commercial traffic until the 1970s. In 1903, New York authorized the expansion of the Champlain Canal—along with the

Erie Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

, Oswego, and

Cayuga–Seneca Canal The Cayuga–Seneca Canal is a canal in New York, United States. It is now part of the New York State Canal System. The Cayuga–Seneca Canal connects the Erie Canal to Cayuga Lake and Seneca Lake. It is approximately long. History The ...

s—into the "

New York State Barge Canal New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

." The project broke ground in 1905 and was completed in 1918. The "Barge Canal" name fell out of use in 1992. The abandoned Lake Champlain Seaway proposal would have upgraded the Champlain Canal into a

ship canal A ship canal is a canal especially intended to accommodate ships used on the oceans, seas, or lakes to which it is connected. Definition Ship canals can be distinguished from barge canals, which are intended to carry barges and other vessel ...

, easing marine transport between

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Route

The Champlain Canal begins about north of the locks at the Troy Federal Dam, at the point where the

splits from the

. The canal follows the Hudson River north for approximately , with six locks providing navigation around dams on the Hudson River, until it reaches lock C-7 in Fort Edward, New York. At this point, the canal follows a constructed channel for approximately , with five additional locks, bringing the canal to the southern end of

Whitehall, New York Whitehall is a town in Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 4,035 at the 2000 census. The Town of Whitehall contains a village also named Whitehall. Hi ...

. The elevation on the Hudson River portion increases from above sea level at the southern end, on the northern end of the locks at the Troy Federal Dam, to about above sea level at lock C-7, where the canal leaves the Hudson River. The elevation of the constructed portion reaches a peak of above sea level between locks C-9 and C-11, then declines to the level of Lake Champlain, between above sea level, at Whitehall. By traveling the length of Lake Champlain, boaters can access the

Richelieu River The Richelieu River () is a river of Quebec, Canada, and a major right-bank tributary of the St. Lawrence River. It rises at Lake Champlain, from which it flows northward through Quebec and empties into the St. Lawrence. It was formerly kno ...

and

Chambly Canal The Chambly Canal is a National Historic Site of Canada in the Province of Quebec, running along the Richelieu River past Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Carignan, and Chambly. Building commenced in 1831 and the canal opened in 1843. It served as a maj ...

, which connect Lake Champlain to the

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (french: Fleuve Saint-Laurent, ) is a large river in the middle latitudes of North America. Its headwaters begin flowing from Lake Ontario in a (roughly) northeasterly direction, into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, connectin ...

Locks

The following list of

locks Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

is provided for the current canal, from south to north. There are a total of 11 locks on the Champlain Canal. All locks on the New York State Canal System are single-chamber; the dimensions are 328 feet (100 m) long and 45 feet (13.7 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.New York State Canal Corporation - Canal Map, New York State Canals
Retrieved Jan. 26, 2015.
Retrieved Jan. 26, 2015.
Retrieved Jan, 26, 2015. Overall sidewall height will vary by lock, ranging between 28 feet (8.5 m) and 61 feet (18.6 m) depending on the lift and navigable stages.
Retrieved Jan. 28, 2015. There is no Lock C10 on the Champlain Canal. The Troy Federal Lock, located just north of

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany a ...

, is not part of the New York State Canal System proper; it is operated by the

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

. The Champlain Canal officially begins at the confluence of the Hudson and

Mohawk Mohawk may refer to: Related to Native Americans *Mohawk people, an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York) *Mohawk language, the language spoken by the Mohawk people *Mohawk hairstyle, from a hairstyle once thought to have been t ...

rivers at

Waterford, New York Waterford is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 8,423 at the 2010 census. The name of the town is derived from its principal village, also called Waterford. The town is located in the southeast corner of Sara ...

. Distance is based on position markers from an interactive canal map provided online by the

New York State Canal Corporation New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

and may not exactly match specifications on signs posted along the canal. Mean surface elevations are comprised from a combination of older canal profiles and history books as well as specifications on signs posted along the canal.Wilfred H. Schoff, ''The New York State Barge Canal'', 1915, American Geographical Society, Vol. 47, No. 7, page 498
Retrieved Jan. 26, 2015.The Erie Canal - Canal Profiles
Retrieved Jan. 6, 2015. The margin of error should normally be within 6 inches (15.2 cm). ''All surface elevations are approximate.'' * Denotes Federal managed locks. Lake Champlain has a mean surface elevation ranging between 95 feet (29 m) and 100 feet (30.5 m).

References

External links

Information and Boater's Guide to the New York State Canal System
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070207121333/http://www.nyscanals.gov/maps/map7.html New York State Canals—Map of the Champlain Canalbr>Champlain Canal Net—History and PhotographsHistoric Glens Falls Feeder Canal
* * * (replaced) * {{Authority control Canals on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Canals in New York (state) Historic American Buildings Survey in New York (state) Historic American Engineering Record in New York (state) Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Bridges in Rensselaer County, New York Transportation buildings and structures in Saratoga County, New York Transportation buildings and structures in Washington County, New York Tributaries of the Hudson River Canals opened in 1823 National Register of Historic Places in Rensselaer County, New York National Register of Historic Places in Saratoga County, New York National Register of Historic Places in Washington County, New York 1823 establishments in New York (state)