See all 31 routes on Erie Canal
New York | Monroe and Wayne Counties / Greater Rochester
Erie Canal
Bushnell’s Basin Docks to Macedon Canal Park / Lock E30
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
Checking weather.
Loading today's forecast.
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 approximately 11.5-mile one-way Erie Canal Water Trail section from Bushnell’s Basin through Fairport and the rural eastern Monroe County canal to Macedon Canal Park at Lock E30. The official stewardship inventory identifies this as Section 10 with Ayrault Road, Fairport Village, and Macedon launches; the guidebook documents the Bushnell’s Basin and Fairport facilities, Fairport’s unusual lift bridge and crowded vertical-wall harbor, Perinton Park, Red’s Twilight RV Resort, Erie Macedon Landing, and the Lock E30 endpoint. This remains planning-only because canal operations, bridge clearance, and local access are not represented by the 04218700 proxy gauge.
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
Bushnell’s Basin Docks and Canal Amenity CenterThe stored coordinates follow official Canalway guide and NYSDEC public access-area anchors; dock, wall, parking, carry, bridge, gate, campground, and park conditions remain subject to current local operation.
Take-out
Macedon Canal Park / Lock E30Bushnell’s Basin, Ayrault Road, and Fairport are the clearest practical launch contexts. Perinton Park, Erie Macedon Landing, and other docks are conditional bailouts; confirm legal water entry and usable landing before relying on them.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- The stored coordinates follow official Canalway guide and NYSDEC public access-area anchors; dock, wall, parking, carry, bridge, gate, campground, and park conditions remain subject to current local operation.
- Bushnell’s Basin, Ayrault Road, and Fairport are the clearest practical launch contexts. Perinton Park, Erie Macedon Landing, and other docks are conditional bailouts; confirm legal water entry and usable landing before relying on them.
- Fairport Village is a high-traffic vertical-wall harbor with a distinctive lift bridge. Do not infer a safe landing or bridge passage from the map pin; wait for operator clearance and maintain separation from powered and rowing craft.
- The route ends at Macedon Canal Park before Lock E30 passage. Continuing east into the official Section 11 Macedon-to-Newark corridor requires a separate route and access review.
Watch for
- USGS 04218700 unavailable, rapidly changing, or inconsistent with the local eastern Erie Canal pool
- Fairport lift bridge, crowded harbor, vertical walls, powerboats, rowing crews, wakes, guard gates, Lock E30, cold water, weeds/debris, and private banks
- Bushnell’s Basin, Ayrault Road, Perinton Park, Fairport Harbor, Red’s Twilight, Erie Macedon Landing, Macedon Canal Park, parking, carries, fees, and current Canal Corporation notices
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 | Erie (Barge) Canal west of Genesee River at Rochester, NY |
| Gauge height | Checking |
| Discharge | 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 the Bushnell’s Basin–Macedon section; use USGS 04218700 as same-canal proxy context plus local canal, traffic, and launch 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.
- Distinct Canalway sectionBushnell’s Basin to Macedon; approximately 11.5 miles; official Section 10
The official Erie Canalway stewardship inventory identifies the section, Bushnell’s Basin start, Macedon finish, and Ayrault/Fairport/Macedon launch chain.
- Public water-entry chainBushnell’s Basin, Ayrault Road, Perinton Park, Fairport Harbor, Erie Macedon Landing, and Macedon Canal Park
The official Rochester-to-Syracuse guidebook supplies water-entry coordinates, facilities, bridge/harbor warnings, camping context, and Lock E30 endpoint information.
- Current Bushnell’s Basin accessNYSDEC-listed hand launch with 15-car parking
NYSDEC lists the current Monroe County Bushnell’s Basin launch; confirm dockmaster and parking conditions.
- Fairport navigation safetyLow-clearance lift bridge, crowded powerboat harbor, and vertical canal walls
The guidebook supplies the clearance, operator contact, harbor facilities, and paddling caution.
- Macedon camping and endpointRed’s Twilight RV Resort near Erie Macedon Landing and Lock E30 Canal Park ramp/dock
The guidebook identifies the campground, marina, and Lock E30 public launch/facilities; confirm current reservations, fees, and take-out rules.
- Navigation safetyHigh traffic, bridges, guard gates, wakes, cold water, and mandatory take-out before Lock E30
The guidebook and Canalway safety guidance supply route-specific navigation and access precautions.
- Proxy live gaugeUSGS 04218700 Erie Barge Canal west of Genesee River at Rochester
USGS provides same-canal proxy context only; local canal pool, traffic, bridge clearance, debris, and lock operations remain decisive.
- Camping postureEndpoint campground context at Red’s Twilight; no wild camping claim
Confirm current campground permission directly and do not infer camping rights from canal banks, parks, or docks.
- Route imageOfficial Bushnell’s Basin dock photograph used for route endpoint context
The presentation image depicts the documented starting water-access area and is credited to the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor.
- Same-river proxy gaugeUSGS 04218700, Erie (Barge) Canal west of Genesee River at Rochester, NY
USGS 04218700 measures the Erie Barge Canal west of the Genesee River at Rochester and is used as a same-canal proxy. Canal pool level, local weeds/debris, wind, wakes, rowing activity, bridge clearance, guard-gate operations, and launch condition can differ materially; the gauge does not authorize lock passage.
- Safety and river conditionsCheck live gauge, recent rainfall, trend, debris, bridges, and access conditions before launch
Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Rochester-to-Syracuse 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 Rochester-to-Syracuse Water Trail route record
- NYS Canalway Water Trail Erie Canal–Fairport and Macedon guidebook map
- USGS 04218700 Erie Barge Canal west of Genesee River at Rochester current stage and discharge proxy
- Erie Canalway Water Trail safety guidance
- USGS 04218700 monitoring location
- USGS 04218700 current conditions
- Erie 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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Quick answers
Erie Canal paddling FAQ
What water level is good for paddling Erie Canal?
Paddle Today watches Erie (Barge) Canal west of Genesee River at Rochester, 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 Erie Canal route start and end?
This route starts at Bushnell’s Basin Docks and Canal Amenity Center and ends at Macedon Canal Park / Lock E30, about About 11.5 official Canalway miles one way from Bushnell’s Basin Docks to the Macedon Canal Park / Lock E30 boundary on the water.
Is this Erie 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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