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New York | Onondaga and Madison Counties / DeWitt to Chittenango

Old Erie CanalCedar Bay Park, DeWitt to Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum

A 9.4-mile one-way Old Erie Canal State Park paddle from Cedar Bay Park to Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum. Erie Canalway describes this towpath-era canal as still watered but bypassed since 1918, with two stone aqueduct crossings and shorter options for exploration.

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Plan this route

Distance9.4 Canalway miles from Cedar Bay Park in DeWitt to Chittenango Landing
DifficultyModerate
Typical timeAbout 4–7 hours including shallow-water checks
ShuttleCar shuttle
Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum beside the Old Erie Canal in New York.
Route photoOld Erie Canal Cedar Bay-to-Chittenango Landing corridor contextPhoto by Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor

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Route overview

Trip details

Access rules, camping, seasonal conditions and trip length.

Distance, difficulty, rules and camping
On-water distance9.4 Canalway miles from Cedar Bay Park in DeWitt to Chittenango LandingCedar Bay Park, DeWitt to Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum
DifficultymoderateThe route is generally flatwater, but its 9.4-mile one-way commitment, shallow historic canal, two aqueduct crossings, fallen limbs, footbridges, wetland banks, and limited verified bailout access require more planning than a short park paddle.
ShuttleCar shuttleStage the take-out vehicle at the Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum area, then drive to Cedar Bay Park. Confirm both parking areas, seasonal gates, carry distances, museum/event restrictions, and a backup extraction plan; Poolsbrook can shorten the trip only if its current water entry is verified.
PermitsNone notedNo route-specific paddling permit is identified, but follow current NYS Parks and Canalway access, parking, park-hours, boating, PFD, invasive-species clean-drain-dry, museum, and posted closure rules. Confirm whether any launch or event-day parking restriction applies.
CampingOptions nearbyCedar Bay and Chittenango Landing provide day-use park, trail, museum, and community-service context, but no water-access campsite is documented on this exact 9.4-mile trip. Use separately verified road-access lodging or campground reservations and do not camp on canal banks, aqueducts, trail corridors, or private property.
SeasonMay-OctPlan for the public park and museum operating season and confirm current launch, trail, and waterway notices before departure. May–October is the practical window for a shallow historic canal route, but cold water, vegetation, fallen limbs, and wetland conditions can persist outside midsummer.

Plan ahead

Tomorrow and the weekend

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Plan

Plan your trip

Launch points, shuttle details, distance, and access notes.

Route logistics

Access and shuttle

A 9.4-mile one-way Old Erie Canal State Park paddle from Cedar Bay Park to Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum. Erie Canalway describes this towpath-era canal as still watered but bypassed since 1918, with two stone aqueduct crossings and shorter options for exploration.

Access map

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Start

Put-in

Cedar Bay Park Old Erie Canal launch area, DeWitt
Open mapDirections to put-in

Cedar Bay is named by NYS Parks and Erie Canalway as a public park/launch context, but the stored coordinate is an access-area anchor rather than a guaranteed wetted-edge ramp. Confirm the current launch and carry on arrival.

Finish

Take-out

Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum Old Erie Canal launch area
Open mapDirections to take-out

Chittenango Landing has a documented dock and launch slide, but the Canalway notes that the kayak launch requires navigating a slope. Confirm the slope, water level, parking, museum hours, and whether an event changes access.

Road shuttle

Driving shuttle routeShuttle in Apple MapsOpenStreetMap
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Access planner

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This changes launch and take-out logistics, not today's river score.

On-water distance9.4 miMixed access
On-water timeAbout 4–7 hours including shallow-water checksFull route option
ShuttleCar shuttleChoose a shorter in/out pair for a shorter day.

Cedar Bay Park Old Erie Canal launch area, DeWitt to Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum dock and launch, Chittenango is about 9.4 mi. Use the planner to compare shorter access pairs.

Access notes and hazards

Access caveats

  • Cedar Bay is named by NYS Parks and Erie Canalway as a public park/launch context, but the stored coordinate is an access-area anchor rather than a guaranteed wetted-edge ramp. Confirm the current launch and carry on arrival.
  • Chittenango Landing has a documented dock and launch slide, but the Canalway notes that the kayak launch requires navigating a slope. Confirm the slope, water level, parking, museum hours, and whether an event changes access.
  • Poolsbrook is retained as an intermediate planning anchor from the current park map, not as an assumed staffed emergency exit. Do not use an unsigned trail bank or private shoreline as a bailout.
  • The route ends at Chittenango Landing. Continuing toward the village, Chittenango Creek, or the newer Erie Canal requires a separate access, water, and shuttle review.
  • No numeric paddling threshold is published for the nearby creek proxy. Keep this route planning-only and make shallow-water, obstruction, weather, and direct visual checks the controlling decision controls.

Watch for

  • USGS 04244000 unavailable, rapidly changing, or inconsistent with local canal depth; no numeric route threshold is published
  • shallow water, mud, weeds, fallen limbs, strainers, beaver obstructions, aqueduct edges, footbridges, culverts, and cold-water immersion
  • Cedar Bay seasonal access, Poolsbrook carry and parking, Chittenango Landing launch slope, museum/event restrictions, park construction, and a delayed shuttle

Plan this paddle

Choose your trip times

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Conditions

Water levels, gauge history, and hourly forecast

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Gauge detail

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Gauge

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Weather

Hourly forecast

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Route gallery

Photos

Check each caption: some photos show the surrounding area rather than this exact trip.

Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum beside the Old Erie Canal in New York.
Old Erie Canal Cedar Bay-to-Chittenango Landing corridor contextPhoto by Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor
Official Erie Canalway route photograph

Sources

Data and sources

Read the access and hazard notes and check the linked guides. We do not issue a daily score for this trip.

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 tripCedar Bay Park, DeWitt to Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum; 9.4 miles; one way

    The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor publishes this exact one-way paddling itinerary and describes the watered historic canal and two stone aqueduct crossings.

    Source

  • Cedar Bay public park contextOld Erie Canal State Historic Park; Cedar Bay operated cooperatively with the Town of DeWitt

    NYS Parks identifies canoeing, fishing, Cedar Bay day-use facilities, and the park’s sunrise-to-sunset operating posture.

    Source

  • Chittenango Landing water access717 Lakeport Road dock with launch slide and transfer bench; no motorized boats

    The Canalway adaptive-paddling listing documents the dock and launch infrastructure inside Old Erie Canal State Park and flags the launch slope.

    Source

  • Park map and intermediate accessOld Erie Canal State Park trail maps identify the watered canal, Chittenango Landing, and Poolsbrook access area

    NYS Parks maps are used for route geometry and intermediate access-area planning; exact carries and wetted-edge conditions require field verification.

    Source

  • Regulated watershed proxy gaugeUSGS 04244000 Chittenango Creek near Chittenango

    USGS provides current nearby watershed telemetry and says flow is regulated by Cazenovia Lake and Erieville Reservoir. It is not a gauge on the Old Erie Canal and supplies no route-specific depth threshold.

    Source

  • Route-specific safety postureUse PFDs, inspect shallow/obstructed water, respect aqueducts and park structures, and obey current Canalway notices

    The Canalway safety and park material support the cold-water, obstruction, lock-free historic-canal, and access-verification posture.

    Source

  • Camping and logisticsNearby road-access basecamp only; no route camping claimed

    The current trip and park sources document day-use recreation, museum, trail, and community services, not a water-access campsite on this exact segment.

    Source

  • Approved route imageChittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum and Old Erie Canal context

    This official Erie Canalway photograph depicts the route’s historic canal and endpoint context and is used as presentation imagery, not as a current launch-condition guarantee.

    Source

  • Canonical river geometryOld Erie Canal trace between Cedar Bay Park and Chittenango Landing

    The curated trace follows the watered historic canal corridor through the Old Erie Canal State Park and snaps to the named access-area anchors.

    Source

  • Same-river proxy gaugeUSGS 04244000, Chittenango Creek near Chittenango, NY

    USGS 04244000 is a current Chittenango Creek station about 1.6 miles south of Chittenango, not a gauge on the historic Old Erie Canal. USGS says flow is regulated by Cazenovia Lake and Erieville Reservoir; use it only for nearby watershed trend and storm context, never as a canal-depth or launch-clearance reading.

    Source

  • Safety and river conditionsCheck live gauge, recent rainfall, trend, debris, bridges, and access conditions before launch

    Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor / NYS Parks Old Erie Canal State Historic Park and its linked safety material warn that conditions change rapidly and require local inspection.

    Source

  • 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.

    Source

Verify it yourselfCheck the source links

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Keep exploring

More routes to check next

Compare another stretch on this river, or explore different rivers within 75 straight-line miles.

More in New York

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New York route guideBrowse every tracked New York route.Onondaga and Madison Counties / DeWitt to ChittenangoJump to routes in this region.

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Nearby routes within 75 miles

Butternut CreekJamesville Reservoir hand launch to Route 481 / Jamesville Road fishing access · about 5 straight-line mi awayHard · About 2 river miles from Jamesville Reservoir to the Route 481 / Jamesville Road fishing-access endpointOnondaga CreekMeachem Field public access to Inner Harbor Bear Street launch · about 6 straight-line mi awayModerate · About 7.2 channel miles from Meachem Field to the Inner HarborNine Mile CreekPumphouse Road / Honeywell Canoe and Kayak Launch to Onondaga Lake Park outlet kayak launch · about 10 straight-line mi awayModerate · Approximately 2.5 planning water miles from the Pumphouse Road launch to the seasonal Onondaga Lake outlet kayak launchChittenango CreekChittenango Falls lower bridge to Recognition Park kayak launch in Chittenango · about 11 straight-line mi awayModerate · 6.8 river miles total: 5.3 to American Whitewater’s village endpoint plus about 1.5 to Recognition Park

Quick answers

Old Erie Canal paddling FAQ

What water level is best for the Cedar Bay Park, DeWitt to Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum route on the Old Erie Canal?

This planning route has no live Paddle Today score. Review the linked water-level sources, current access notices and route-specific hazards before travel.

Where does the Cedar Bay Park, DeWitt to Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum route on the Old Erie Canal start and end?

This route starts at Cedar Bay Park Old Erie Canal launch area, DeWitt and ends at Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum Old Erie Canal launch area, 9.4 Canalway miles from Cedar Bay Park in DeWitt to Chittenango Landing on the water.

Is the Cedar Bay Park, DeWitt to Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum route on the Old Erie Canal suitable for beginners?

This is listed as a moderate route. Review the difficulty notes, hazards and current access conditions against your group's skills. No live score assesses this trip.

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