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 ...

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

that connects the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

to the south end of

Lake Champlain Lake Champlain ( ; , ) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canadian province of Quebec. The cities of Burlington, Ve ...

. 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 navigability, navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes, ...

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 and Lakes to Locks Passage. Water for the highest portion comes from the Hudson River via the Glens Falls Feeder Canal, from above the drop at

Glens Falls, New York Glens Falls is a City (New York), city in Warren County, New York, Warren County, New York, United States and is the central city of the Glens Falls, New York metropolitan area, Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,83 ...

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-American engineer active in the United States and Britain, most famous for the civil engineering work he did in the latter. He is known for having overseen the pr ...

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, Oswego, and

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

s—into the " New York State Barge Canal." 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 (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Route

The Champlain Canal's southern end is about north of the locks at the Troy Federal Dam, at the point where the

splits from the

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

at Whitehall, New York. 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 m ...

, which connect Lake Champlain to the

Saint Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrenc ...

Locks

The following list of locks 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 long and wide with a minimum depth of water over the miter sills at the upstream gates upon lift. They can accommodate a vessel up to long and 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 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 and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, United States. It is located on the western edge of the county, on the eastern bank of the Hudson River just northeast of the capital city of Albany, New York, Albany. At the ...

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

United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wo ...

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

Waterford, New York Waterford is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 8,208 at the 2020 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 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 . ''All surface elevations are approximate.'' * Denotes Federal managed locks. Lake Champlain has a mean surface elevation ranging between .

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 Canal*
Historic Glens Falls Feeder Canal
* *

Historic American Engineering Record Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS). It administers three programs established to document historic places in the United States: Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American E ...

(HAER) documentation: ** ** (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)