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Rides Menu Champlain Canal Quick Links
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Champlain
Canal Ride
The Champlain Canal*— Waterford to Schuylerville, New York 25 Miles Flat riding along historic canalways. Some traffic situations with good bike lanes. How To Get There Waterford is about 11 miles north of Albany. If you take I-787, go NY 32/Saratoga Street to downtown. Look for signs to the Canal Park, at Canal Lock 2. There is good parking here. Background The Champlain Canal was built to connect the Hudson River, which flows south to the Atlantic, with Lake Champlain which flows north into the Saint Lawrence River. The history of the Champlain Canal is closely linked with that of the Erie Canal. Both were begun in 1817, soon after peace came to a territory that had known brutal warfare for over a century. Both followed unsuccessful attempts by private companies to construct navigational improvements. At just 60 miles in length, the Champlain Canal opened in 1823, two years earlier than the Erie. Somehow, the Champlain never seemed to "get respect." Perhaps that was because a canal linking the northern end of Lake Champlain and the Saint Lawrence River, all in Canada, was not completed until 1858. Perhaps it was because of America's fascination with the opening and settlement of the West. In any case, the Champlain, like the Erie, was a vast commercial success. Also like the Erie, and important to us here, is the role the route plays in linking together much of early American history. Back in the early 1800s, the first Champlain Canal was built parallel to but entirely separate from the Hudson River. The original Champlain Canal followed the west shore of the Hudson northward from Waterford in Saratoga County and crossed to the east shore in Washington County just north of Schuylerville. It followed the east shore northward to Fort Edward. Efforts are being made to open the old towpath for recreational use. It is largely intact, waiting to be redeveloped. You will see many signs of the old Champlain Canal alignment as you pedal north. The Ride
A great start is to look over some of the exhibits at the Canal Park. Once you're ready to ride, go back to the center of Waterford and take 3rd Street which is Bike Route 9." Bike "9," a continuous route from New York City to the Canadian border near Montreal, is your best guide between Waterford and Whitehall. The segment between Waterford and Whitehall is being developed into a "scenic byway" by Saratoga and Washington counties. Open segments of the old Champlain Canal towpaths can be found in Waterford, Schuylerville and Fort Edward. The Champlain "Barge Canal" which is open for use the entire distance serves the entire route. Bike "9" turns north onto 3rd Street in Waterford. In two miles you will pass a historic marker indicating the furthest north point reached by the crew of Henry Hudson. In the same year that Henry Hudson's crew reached this point, just a few months earlier in 1609, Samuel de Champlain reached what is now Ticonderoga. There, at the instigation of his Huron allies, de Champlain launched a punitive raid against the Iroquois. This began more than a century of hostility between the Iroquois and the French. Sadly too, on his way back down the Hudson River, Henry Hudson found himself at war with the local Indians. Continue north, passing through Mechanicville to Stillwater (Mile 11). There is a canal park at Lock 4 in Stillwater. From Stillwater, for the next dozen miles, you will be passing through the various historical sites that comprised the Saratoga Battlefield. It is an understatement to say that historic markers abound. There are plenty on both sides of the Hudson, identifying all the sites of the many skirmishes that took place as the British tried to attack and then retreat from the blocking American forces. At Mile 16 is the entrance to the National Historical Park. Be sure to take this detour. There is an entrance fee for cyclists. The park contains a nine-mile loop road (paved) that will take you to all the important sites of the Battle of 1777. Allow yourself several hours as the National Park Service has done a wonderful job of highlighting the principal events of the multi-day battle which took place here. The loop is a quiet one-way roadway which takes you to the commanding "heights" which the American forces had occupied to halt the British advance. The interpretive center will give you much information about the many battles that comprised this campaign which extended into Hubbardton (near Rutland, Vermont) and Walloomsac (near Bennington, Vermont). This was no small campaign. It included naval engagements on Lake Champlain. I, for one, never ceased to be impressed at how so many thousands of troops, of many nationalities, were assembled and competently commanded, in what was certainly a vast wilderness. One of America's most competent commanders in this complex battle, and the founder of the American navy at Whitehall (which comes near the end of this tour), was Benedict Arnold. There is a memorial to him at the battlefield, but, as he had subsequently deserted and gone to the British side, and "Benedict Arnold" had become synonymous with "traitor," his name was omitted. You'll see this on the park loop road. At the 155-foot obelisk commemorating the Battle at Schuylerville, there are spaces for four enormous statues. The one blank wall is for Arnold. Had General Burgoyne succeeded in reaching Albany, and the British campaign in the Mohawk Valley been successful, the Colonies would have been split in two. Instead, the defeat at Saratoga, coupled with the losses in the Mohawk Valley at Oriskany and Fort Stanwix were the first major American victories. The prospect of defeating the British brought the essential French support that was necessary for the Revolution to succeed.
When you exit the park, return to Bike "9" and continue north. At Schuylerville (Mile 24), you'll come to the Schuyler House (1777) where General Burgoyne surrendered after the Battle of Saratoga. Hopefully, you visited the Schuyler Mansion in Albany; this was their summer home. Also near Schuylerville is the 155-foot tall Saratoga Battlefield Monument, a short distance off-route. Road signs will help you locate it easily. The monument, built between 1877 and 1883, has been thoroughly reconditioned by the National Park Service. You can climb to an overlook at the top of the obelisk. A new Canal Visitors Center has been opened in Schuylerville, located directly adjacent to Bike Route "9." Adjacent to the Visitors Center is an unpaved stretch of the Champlain Canal towpath, which connects the Schuyler House at the southern end with a small park at Champlain Barge Canal Lock 5. The park contains ruins of old Lock 9 as well as views of an old canal aqueduct. It's a nice historic ending to a ride through history.
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