🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Clinton’s Ditch — 36-mile trail along the ORIGINAL 1825 Erie Canal bed — walk in the actual towpath where mules pulled canal boats through “Clinton’s Ditch”
Old Erie Canal State Historic Park preserves 36 miles of the ORIGINAL 1825 Erie Canal bed between DeWitt and Rome — one of the longest stretches of original canal remaining in New York! You can walk the actual towpath where mules pulled canal boats through what skeptics called “Clinton’s Ditch” (after Governor DeWitt Clinton who championed the project). The canal was 40 feet wide and 4 feet deep — tiny by modern standards, but it revolutionized American commerce. The park includes original lock structures, aqueducts, and the only remaining navigable section of the original 1825 canal.
Visitor Information
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Location | DeWitt to Rome, NY |
| Entry Fee | Free |
| Length | 36 miles of ORIGINAL 1825 canal! |
| Nickname | “Clinton’s Ditch” — 40ft×4ft! |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you still see the original canal?
Yes! Much of the original 1825 canal bed is visible — filled with water in some sections, overgrown in others. The towpath where mules walked is now a hiking/biking trail. You can see original lock chambers, stone aqueducts, and culverts from the 1825 construction. The park is the longest intact section of the original Erie Canal.
About Old Erie Canal
Old Erie Canal State Historic Park in Madison and Oneida Counties preserves a 36-mile section of the original 1825 Erie Canal — the most intact surviving stretch of the canal that transformed America. The park follows the towpath where mules once pulled barges at 4 miles per hour. The canal was 40 feet wide and 4 feet deep — yet this modest ditch generated more economic impact than any infrastructure project in American history until the transcontinental railroad.
Things to Do
Hiking and biking the 36-mile towpath, viewing original canal locks and aqueducts, fishing, cross-country skiing in winter, and tracing the route of America’s most transformative infrastructure project.
Make it a road trip: Pair a visit with Chittenango Falls State Park (a short drive away) or Helen McNitt State Park (a short drive away).
Wildlife & Nature
Old Erie Canal SHP — a 36-mile trail following the original 1825 Erie Canal towpath between DeWitt and Rome. The Erie Canal — the most important infrastructure project of the 19th century — transformed New York into the “Empire State” by connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic. The trail passes original canal locks, aqueducts, and towpath. Great blue herons fish the canal remnants. Beavers dam the waterway.
Nearby Attractions
Syracuse — western end — has the Erie Canal Museum. Rome — eastern end — has Fort Stanwix NM. Chittenango — along the route — has the falls. Canastota — along the route — has the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Park Location
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