Life in the Past Lane...

Bring your camera as you rediscover the past aboard your Canal Cruiser, houseboat or trawler. Vistas of natural beauty will pass slowly before your viewfinder -- peaceful historic villages, changed very little this century, unfold as you round each bend.

A 150-mile hike-and-bike path traces the original Erie Canal towpath. From 1825 to the early 1900s, the towpath was used by mules and oxen to pull the packet boats distributing goods between New York City and Buffalo. Many miles of the path are now paved for cycling, skating, or easy walking. You are welcome toexplore the many abandoned, original Erie Canal locks and aqueducts, only a short walk from the new Erie Canal -- your highway to the past.

Lady Liberty

Early morning and late afternoon provide warm light for photographing springtime flowers, a 160-foot waterfall on Seneca Lake, or canal-side festivals held throughout the summer.

Fall foliage brings visitors from all over the world to witness this sudden and dramatic change offered by nature during September and October. Our popular Leaf Peeper Express cruises are one-way trips, allowing you to travel twice as far on the Erie Canal, Canada's canals, and the shores of Vermont on Lake Champlain and Champlain Canal.

The earliest historical events in America are preserved in many of the ports of call along the Erie Canal. Buffalo to Albany, the past beckons to be discovered. This is Life in the Past Lane.