Celebrating 200 Years: Erie Canal's 'Seneca Chief' at Marcy Lock and Utica Marina

I Explored Upstate New York on a Canal Boat — and It Was the Perfect Way to Slow Down

In the early days of the Erie Canal, it was not just cargo that traveled on the Canal. Packet boats carried many passengers all along the Erie Canal, providing a reliable source of transportation. Did you know that one mule could tow a packet boat with 100 people on board at 4 miles per hour? The mules would generally work in 15 mile shifts, as noted in the famous Erie Canal song! Join us on a daily sight seeing cruise and you can discover a lot of interesting history about this magical waterway