On our 2004 vacation from Texas, we took boat rides on two major waterways in New York, the Erie Canal and the Champlain Canal.
CHAMPLAIN CANAL TOUR WITH CAPTAIN BOB
Wanting my kids to experience a boat ride through a lock, those I knew said the previous rides on the Erie Canal were no longer as good as they used to be, and not suitable for kids.
Searching the internet for new options, I found boat tours on the Champlain Canal in Schuylerville, New York at Lock C5.
A variety of options of length of time, direction, topics, and type of boats deeply intruiged me.
A beautiful large paddlewheel for 60 passengers offered a three-hour history tour to Saratoga Battlefield, south of the lock!
As fascinating as that sounded, they also had a quaintly smaller craft for 18 passengers offering a relaxing journey: north for a 30-minute waterfall excursion or south for a 30-minute lock thru excursion…(with) the option of combining the two for a full hour trip. The Sadie is great for families with small children. -Champlain Canal Tours 2004 website
Sold! As much as I knew my 8- and 11-year-old homeschool kids would enjoy the large three hour Saratoga tour, I thought the nature tour with the lock experience would be best this time.
Then on a future trip they’ll be older to better appreciate the three-hour history tour.
2004 CHAMPLAIN CANAL TOUR – TURN OF THE CENTURY BOAT
Thus, boarding the Sadie, a turn of the century craft, we learned we were the only ones booked for the tour.
Suddenly, we had a private tour with Captain Bob Foster, a retired tugboat captain from Boston!
After riding through the lock, we saw the tumultuous waterfalls proving the need for the lock.
Sitting in this boat gave us an up close view of the prodigious Hudson…as evidenced by the above photo.
While expertly steering the boat, Captain Bob chatted about all the local lore, while pointing out interesting flora and fauna and regaling about the wonders of the waterways of New York.
From this spot, I can jump on my boat and go anywhere in the world I want to go. That’s why this area intrigued me so much. I can head south and reach the Atlantic 200 miles away, I can head north and also reach the Atlantic, or I can head west and go to the Great Lakes, then reach the Mississippi and go down to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico.
People don’t realize how extensive the New York Canal System is. The Erie Canal and all the stories about it really resonates with people, but they don’t appreciate how great the canal system is. I can go over 1,000 miles through the different canals in New York alone. -Captain Bob Foster as interviewed by the Daily Gazette of Schenectady, New York
Captain Bob’s was the best lock tour and boat ride I’ve ever experienced!
We were definitely coming back.
2010 CHAMPLAIN CANAL TOUR – PADDLEBOAT
Six years later we returned!
Having deeply studied the Battle of Saratoga, my kids were more than ready to see the battlefield from the perspective of the Hudson River…and Captain Bob.
This meant we were going to take the three-hour tour on the paddlewheel, the Caldwell Belle!
I’m heartbroken I forgot to take a picture of the entire boat because it was gorgeous.
If we veer left, we continue down the Hudson River, literally…over the waterfalls.
This is where we want to veer right into the lock.
Inside the lock we watch the water lower to the level of the Hudson, seen beyond the gate.
After the water level is even with the section of river ahead of us, the massive doors slowly open.
Leaving the lock for the Hudson River, we saw lots of wildlife like an egret and a Great Blue Heron.
From the boat we looked up to the fortifications built by Thaddius Kosciusko at Saratoga Battlefield, where the combatants vied for control of this river.
Being a strategic waterway, the British knew if they control the Hudson, they cut Boston off from the Southern states.
As our three-hours came to an end, we returned to the lock where we started. This time we want to veer left to the lock. Veering right is the Hudson River and the waterfalls.
Now the process is reversed, since we need to rise to the next section of the Hudson.
Meanwhile the water churns with a great deal of whirring and twirling from the pumps underneath.
Sadly Captain Bob is selling his boats and business. We’re going to miss him.
WALKING CHAMPLAIN CANAL TOWPATH BENEATH SARATOGA BATTLEFIELD
Then we walked on the towpath of the old Champlain Canal, the 19th century version, a remnant of which is located underneath the fortifications of Saratoga Battlefield.
If we stay long enough we might see the Caldwell Belle on another trip. That would be a great picture. Should have timed that!
ERIE CANAL AND CHAMPLAIN CANAL CONNECTION
Built at the same time as the Erie Canal, the Champlain Canal links the Hudson River to the southern end of Lake Champlain.
The Mohawk River, along which the Erie Canal is built, empties into the Hudson River.
Impressively not far from where the Mohawk merges with the Hudson, the Mohawk dramatically falls in Cohoes, New York…appropriately named, Cohoes Falls.
After reading various interpretations of Cohoes, my favorite is from the Mohawk, Ga-ha-oose, which means Place of the Falling Canoe, referencing Cohoes Falls. (That doesn’t mean I’m right, I just like it. Read more here, and see the amazing photos of the falls.)
The drop of the Mohawk at Cohoes Falls is quite impressive. While the height is 90′ high, it’s 1000′ wide.
Especially dramatic is after the spring thaw, when the volume is prodigious. I was there once, but sadly didn’t take pictures.
CHAMPLAIN CANAL ROUTE
Since the Hudson doesn’t actually reach Lake Champlain, about 25 miles of channel was dug from the Hudson’s northernmost point, parallel to Lake George, to Lake Champlain.
Thus, six locks are located on the Hudson River, and the last five are on the northern dug out section.
Interestingly, Lock C10, north of Troy is operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers, while the other 10 are run by the New York State Canal System.
