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New York | Saratoga County / Champlain Valley
Champlain Canal
Alfred Z. Solomon Launch at Lock C5 to Stillwater Hudson Riverfront Park
Route planning details, access notes, and local verification guidance.
Route location
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Need to know
Why this call
Conditions
Gauge history and hourly forecast
Use the gauge context and hourly forecast to verify local conditions before launching.
Gauge detail
Gauge history & hourly forecastDetailed view
Gauge
Recent trend
Checking preferred range.
Checking trend.
Gauge source
--Checking timestampMN DNR provides the current paddling level here, but not chart-ready recent samples.
Weather
Hourly forecast
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Next 8 hours
Short-route forecast
Checking the next several hours.
Route overview
Quick facts and what's next
Distance, difficulty, shuttle basics, and the near-term outlook before you commit to the drive.
Quick facts
Plan ahead
Upcoming outlook
These are early planning reads. Re-check live conditions before you commit to the drive.
Waiting on forecast.
Waiting on forecast.
Plan
Plan your trip
Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.
Route logistics
Access and shuttle
An 8.94-mile one-way Champlain Canal Water Trail float from the Alfred Z. Solomon gravel-beach launch below Lock C5 in Schuylerville to Stillwater Hudson Riverfront Park. The official Canalway day-trip inventory describes a zero-lock float past Saratoga Battlefield with stops at Fort Hardy Park and the Schuyler House. The guidebook and NYSDEC identify public water-entry anchors, but the route is planning-only because it uses the canalized Hudson, has high-traffic sections, changing current and wind, and must end above the Stillwater dam/Lock C4 complex.
Plan a shorter segmentOptional
Access planner
Pick a shorter segment
This changes launch and take-out logistics, not today's river score.
Peltier Lake to Long Lake is the full route. Shorter access pairs are useful when wind, time, or group energy changes the plan.
Prepare this trip
Take the plan with you
Download the canonical route, add a calendar hold, or send a simple float plan to your group.
Put-in
Alfred Z. Solomon Launch, Hudson Crossing ParkThe stored endpoints follow the Canalway guide’s public launch-area coordinates; docks, beaches, gates, parking, and park access remain subject to current local conditions.
Take-out
Stillwater Riverfront ParkThe route uses public and private waterfronts with vertical walls. Do not improvise landings, shoreline scouting, or camping without explicit current permission.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- The stored endpoints follow the Canalway guide’s public launch-area coordinates; docks, beaches, gates, parking, and park access remain subject to current local conditions.
- The route uses public and private waterfronts with vertical walls. Do not improvise landings, shoreline scouting, or camping without explicit current permission.
- Stillwater Riverfront Park is the hard downstream boundary. Do not continue toward the fixed-crest dam, hydroelectric plant, or Lock C4 without a separate hazard, portage, and access review.
- High traffic, wind, current, and dam operations can change the route’s practical difficulty independently of the proxy gauge.
Watch for
- USGS 01327750 unavailable, rapidly changing, or inconsistent with the local Hudson/Champlain Canal conditions
- Motorized traffic, wind, current, bridge routing, cold water, strainers, vertical walls, private banks, and the Stillwater fixed-crest dam/Lock C4 complex
- Hudson Crossing, Fort Hardy, Saratoga, and Stillwater parking, beach/dock conditions, park hours, seasonal restrictions, and the hard take-out boundary
Route gallery
See this route on the water
Photos help show what the access looks like and what the route actually feels like on the water.
Score & sources
Data and sources
See the gauge, weather, and source notes behind today's call.
Why this scoreToday's evidence strength is checking
Evidence strength mostly comes down to three things: how direct the active gauge is, how clear the range is, and how fresh the data is.
- Checking evidence-strength notes.
- Checking evidence cautions.
Data behind the scoreGauge, thresholds, and timing
These are the live readings and threshold notes behind today's score.
| Gauge site | Hudson River at Fort Edward, NY |
| Discharge | Checking |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| 24h trend | Checking |
| 24h change | Checking |
| Current band | Checking |
| Rain last 24h | Checking |
| Rain last 72h | Checking |
| Air temp | Checking |
| Water temp | Checking |
| Wind | Checking |
| Gusts | Checking |
| Rain timing | Checking |
| Ideal range | Needs paddler reports |
| Known low-water floor | Not calibrated yet |
| High threshold | Not calibrated yet |
| Evidence strength behind the range | Official and local sources |
| Gauge observed | Checking |
| Paddle Today updated | Checking |
| Main source behind this score | No numeric go/no-go threshold published for this Champlain Canal trip; use USGS 01327750 as regional proxy context plus local visual inspection |
| Gauge source | Checking |
| Weather source | Checking |
| Rainfall source | Checking |
NotesWhat to know before you go
These notes cover the access details, route quirks, and source caveats most likely to matter once you get there.
- Named Canalway day tripAlfred Z. Solomon Launch to Stillwater Riverfront Park; 8.94 miles; zero locks
The official Erie Canalway day-trip page publishes the route endpoints, mileage, lock count, and Saratoga Battlefield description.
- Public endpoint coordinatesAlfred Z. Solomon 43.11306, -73.57694; Stillwater Riverfront Park 42.99409, -73.60928
The Canalway guide identifies the gravel beach and park launches, facilities, and route landmarks; NYSDEC independently lists the Stillwater access.
- Bridge and dam boundaryUse the Stillwater channel bridge segment and exit before the fixed-crest dam/Lock C4
The official guidebook supplies the route-specific bridge instruction and downstream dam warning.
- Proxy live gaugeUSGS 01327750 Hudson River at Fort Edward
USGS provides current stage/discharge as regional context; it is not a direct measurement of this downstream reach.
- Camping postureNearby managed basecamp only; no on-route camping claim
Arrange separate overnight lodging or a current managed campground outside the route access sites.
- Same-river proxy gaugeUSGS 01327750, Hudson River at Fort Edward, NY
USGS 01327750 is a current Hudson River station upstream near Fort Edward and is used as a regional proxy for the Champlain/Hudson corridor. It does not measure the launch or take-out reach directly; local regulation, wind, canal operations, and the Stillwater dam can dominate conditions.
- Safety and river conditionsCheck live gauge, recent rainfall, trend, debris, bridges, and access conditions before launch
Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Champlain Canal Water Trail and its linked safety material warn that conditions change rapidly and require local inspection.
- Image decisionApproved watershed/proxy-gauge context image used for route presentation
The image is clearly labeled as watershed/proxy-gauge context and does not claim to depict this exact reach.
Verify it yourselfCheck the source links
Use these links to double-check the gauge, route details, and access notes before you head out.
- Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Champlain Canal Water Trail route record
- NYS Canalway Water Trail Champlain Canal guidebook map
- USGS 01327750 Hudson River at Fort Edward current stage and discharge proxy
- Erie Canalway Water Trail safety guidance
- USGS 01327750 monitoring location
- USGS 01327750 current conditions
- Champlain Canal context image
Paddler reports
Recent notes from paddlers
A few quick notes from people who were on this route recently.
Reports
Paddler reports
See recent photos and notes from people on the route.
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More routes to check next
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Quick answers
Champlain Canal paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Champlain Canal?
Paddle Today watches Hudson River at Fort Edward, NY and uses Not calibrated yet as the conservative low-water floor for this route. The ideal range still needs more paddler reports.
Where does this Champlain Canal route start and end?
This route starts at Alfred Z. Solomon Launch, Hudson Crossing Park and ends at Stillwater Riverfront Park, about About 8.94 one-way Canalway miles from Alfred Z. Solomon Launch to Stillwater Riverfront Park on the water.
Is this Champlain Canal route good for beginners?
This is listed as a moderate route. Expect more planning than an easy float, and use the live score, route notes, and source links before committing.
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Access, hazards, wood, and shuttle details change. Send a quick correction if something looks off.