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New York | Wayne County / Finger Lakes–Erie Canal
Erie Canal
Lock E30 Macedon to Widewaters Canal Park / Newark
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 approximately 10.2-mile one-way Erie Canal Water Trail section from Macedon Canal Park at Lock E30 through the Lock 60/E29 and Pal-Mac Aqueduct history corridor, Palmyra, and the rural Widewaters approach to Widewaters Canal Park near Newark. The official stewardship inventory identifies this as Section 11 with Lock E30, Lock E29, Pal-Mac, Palmyra, and Widewaters access; the guidebook documents the lock and aqueduct portage context, Port of Palmyra and Palmyra Boat Launch facilities, Ganargua spillway warning, Widewaters navigation channel, and the park’s no-camping rule. This remains planning-only because canal operations 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
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Put-in
Macedon Canal Park / Lock E30The stored coordinates follow official Canalway guide and current public access-area anchors; dock, ramp, wall, parking, carry, lock, gate, spillway, and park conditions remain subject to current local operation.
Take-out
Widewaters Canal ParkLock E30, Lock 60, and Lock E29 are navigation controls requiring portage planning. Pal-Mac, Port of Palmyra, and Palmyra provide conditional public water-entry contexts; confirm legal carry 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 current public access-area anchors; dock, ramp, wall, parking, carry, lock, gate, spillway, and park conditions remain subject to current local operation.
- Lock E30, Lock 60, and Lock E29 are navigation controls requiring portage planning. Pal-Mac, Port of Palmyra, and Palmyra provide conditional public water-entry contexts; confirm legal carry and usable landing before relying on them.
- Widewaters has strong ramp and facility evidence but explicitly prohibits camping, swimming, and wading. Use the north-side channel guidance and take out at the park rather than treating the widewater as an open shoreline.
- The route ends at Widewaters Canal Park. Continuing east into the official Section 12 Newark-to-Lyons corridor requires a separate route and access review.
Watch for
- USGS 04218700 unavailable, rapidly changing, or inconsistent with the local eastern Erie Canal pool
- Lock E30, Enlarged Lock 60, Lock E29, Pal-Mac and Ganargua spillways, bridges, wakes, fishing lines, small craft, cold water, weeds/debris, and private banks
- Macedon Canal Park, Pal-Mac, Port of Palmyra, Palmyra Boat Launch, Widewaters Canal Park, parking, carries, marina permission, no-camping rules, 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 Macedon–Newark section; use USGS 04218700 as same-canal proxy context plus local canal, traffic, spillway, 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 sectionMacedon to Newark; approximately 10.2 miles; official Section 11
The official Erie Canalway stewardship inventory identifies the section, Lock E30 start, Widewaters finish, and the Lock E30/Lock E29/Palmyra/Widewaters access chain.
- Public water-entry chainLock E30 Macedon, Enlarged Lock 60, Lock E29/Pal-Mac, Port of Palmyra, Palmyra Boat Launch, and Widewaters Canal Park
The official Rochester-to-Syracuse guidebook supplies the access coordinates, facilities, lock/aqueduct context, spillway warning, and Widewaters park rules.
- Palmyra access and logisticsPort of Palmyra car-top launch with 30-car parking and Palmyra concrete ramp/dock
The guidebook documents the two Palmyra-area public or conditional access points and facilities; confirm current operation.
- Spillway and widewater safetyStay away from Ganargua spillways; stay north through Widewaters; no swimming/wading at Widewaters Park
The guidebook provides route-specific spillway, small-craft, shoreline, and park-rule warnings.
- Navigation safetyLocks, aqueducts, spillways, bridges, wakes, cold water, and mandatory Widewaters take-out
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, debris, locks, spillways, and bridge operations remain decisive.
- Camping postureNearby managed basecamp only; Widewaters explicitly prohibits camping
Confirm current lodging/campground rules directly and do not infer camping rights from canal parks, docks, or shoreline.
- Route imageUSGS Erie Canal proxy station photograph used as clearly labeled same-canal context
The presentation image is proxy context and does not claim to depict the Macedon–Newark reach.
- 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, bridge clearance, lock/gate operations, spillway hydraulics, and launch condition can differ materially; the gauge does not authorize lock passage or spillway entry.
- 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–Macedon, Palmyra, and Newark 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 Macedon Canal Park / Lock E30 and ends at Widewaters Canal Park, about About 10.2 official Canalway miles one way from Lock E30 Macedon to Widewaters Canal Park near Newark 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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