See all 31 routes on Erie Canal
New York | Monroe County / Fairport and Pittsford
Erie Canal
Erie Canal Boat Company, Fairport to Bushnell’s Basin and return
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.
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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
A 7.7-mile round-trip Erie Canalway paddle from the accessible Erie Canal Boat Company dock in Fairport to Bushnell’s Basin and back. The official itinerary identifies the exact out-and-back trip, while the Canalway guide documents Fairport, Ayrault Road, Kreag Road Park, Bushnell’s Basin access, amenities, and bridge/traffic context.
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
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Put-in
Erie Canal Boat Company accessible dock, FairportThe Erie Canal Boat Company dock is a commercial/adaptive launch context; confirm current hours, rental/launch procedure, parking, and whether self-launch access is available on the intended date.
Take-out
Bushnell’s Basin Docks and Canal Amenity CenterAyrault Road is a public concrete launch with limited parking and no overnight parking in the Canalway guide. Treat it as a shorter-trip or bailout anchor only after verifying current signage and water entry.
Plan this segment
Pulling access map tiles. Usually under 5 seconds.
Access caveats and watch for
Access caveats
- The Erie Canal Boat Company dock is a commercial/adaptive launch context; confirm current hours, rental/launch procedure, parking, and whether self-launch access is available on the intended date.
- Ayrault Road is a public concrete launch with limited parking and no overnight parking in the Canalway guide. Treat it as a shorter-trip or bailout anchor only after verifying current signage and water entry.
- Bushnell’s Basin has limited parking and a popular floating dock. Confirm current dockmaster/municipal rules, congestion, and whether a kayak can safely land before treating it as a take-out.
- Do not use Fairport’s vertical walls, private docks, rowing facilities, or towpath edges as substitute access. If the return becomes unsafe, use only a named public access or call for a prearranged support plan.
Watch for
- USGS 04218700 unavailable or inconsistent with local canal level; seasonal drawdown, low water, wind, wakes, and rapidly changing weather
- Fairport Main Street lift bridge, vertical walls, commercial and powerboat traffic, rowing activity near Fairport Crew Club, bridges, guard gate 9, and limited bailout options
- Erie Canal navigation hours/notices, dock congestion, municipal parking, Ayrault access, Bushnell’s Basin dock availability, and the return leg before committing to the full round trip
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 runnable threshold published; use canal navigation status, wind, traffic, water level, bridge clearance, and direct 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 official day tripFairport to Bushnell’s Basin and return; 7.7 miles; no locks
The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor publishes this exact round-trip itinerary and describes the Fairport rental/launch and Bushnell’s Basin destination.
- Fairport public water accessErie Canal Boat Company, 7 Liftbridge Lane West; accessible dock with launch slide and transfer bench
The Canalway guide publishes the Fairport launch coordinate, address, facilities, and paddling note. Confirm current commercial launch operations before relying on it.
- Intermediate public launchTown of Perinton Boat Launch / Ayrault Road Launch, 426 Ayrault Road
The official guide documents the concrete ramp, portable toilet, limited parking, and no overnight parking; the point is retained as a conditional alternate/bailout anchor.
- Bushnell’s Basin public water accessFloating dock and canal amenity center at 43.06250, -77.47855
The guide and NYSDEC identify the public Bushnell’s Basin dock/hand-launch context with limited parking and boater amenities. Verify current dock and parking rules.
- Proxy live gaugeUSGS 04218700 Erie (Barge) Canal west of Genesee River at Rochester
USGS provides current canal-system stage/discharge context, but the station is west of Fairport and does not capture local wind, wakes, bridge, dock, or navigation conditions.
- Image decisionApproved Bushnell’s Basin dock photograph used for Erie Canal route context
The route image depicts the documented Bushnell’s Basin destination 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 is a current Erie (Barge) Canal station west of the Genesee River at Rochester. It provides regional canal-system stage/discharge context, but it does not certify local Fairport water level, bridge clearance, wind, wakes, dock availability, or navigation status; use it only with direct local checks.
- Safety and river conditionsCheck live gauge, recent rainfall, trend, debris, bridges, and access conditions before launch
Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor / NYS Canalway Water Trail / Town of Perinton 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 / NYS Canalway Water Trail / Town of Perinton route record
- NYS Canalway Water Trail Erie–Rochester to Syracuse guide and map
- USGS 04218700 Erie Canal west of Genesee River at Rochester current conditions
- NYS 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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More routes to check next
Compare another stretch on this river, or jump to nearby options before you pick a plan.
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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 Erie Canal Boat Company accessible dock, Fairport and ends at Bushnell’s Basin Docks and Canal Amenity Center, about 7.7 Canalway miles round trip from Erie Canal Boat Company in Fairport to Bushnell’s Basin and return on the water.
Is this Erie Canal route good for beginners?
This is listed as an easy route, but conditions still matter. Check today's score, water level, weather, and access notes before you go.
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