1. National Canal Museum.
2750 Hugh Moore Park Rd, Easton, PA 18042. Easton is located at
the eastern end of the Lehigh Canal, the northern end of the
Delaware Canal, and directly across the Delaware River from the
western end of the Morris Canal in Phillipsburg, NJ. The Museum
contains an excellent overview of the canal era with permanent
and changing exhibits. Open year round. Admission charged.
Call for times and schedule. (610-515-8000).
|
2.
Hugh Moore Park. Six miles of restored
Lehigh Canal with locks from Delaware River west through
Easton. The Lehigh Canal between Jim Thorpe and Easton was
46 miles in length, had 47 lift locks, and was in use from
1829 to 1934. Park has excellent picnic area, towpath trail,
Locktender's House at Guard Lock #8, restored to about 1890.
Mule-drawn Canal Boat Rides in park May through September.
Fee charged. Call for times and schedule. (610-515-8000).
|
3.
Allentown, Bethlehem and Freemansburg.
Continuous 11 mile canal park on Lehigh Canal with six
preserved locks. Towpath trail. Original 1828 cut stone
Locktender's House (on the National Register of Historic Places)
at Lock #44 maintained by Old Freemansburg Association.
(610-868-3103).
|
4.
Walnutport. Attractive canal town on the
Lehigh Canal, 13 miles north of Allentown on Rt. 145. Four
and one half mile towpath trail along restored canal
includes Lock #22 to Lock #25. Original 1828 cut stone
Locktender's House (on the National Register of Historic
Places) at restored Lock #23 is open Sunday afternoons May
to October and by appointment. Small fee charged. Maintained
by Walnutport Canal Association. (610-767-5817).
|
5.
Lehigh Canal Park. 5.5 miles of canal, almost 4
miles of which are cleared and rewatered, with towpath trail and
12 preserved locks from Jim Thorpe to Parryville. Beautiful
mountain scenery. Maintained by Lehigh Canal Recreation
Commission. (610-377-3856).
6.
Delaware Canal State Park. Delaware Division of
the Pennsylvania Canal System. A National Historic Landmark, a
National Recreation Trail, and part of the 150 mile long Delaware
and Lehigh Canal National Heritage Corridor, the towpath trail is
59.3 miles from Easton to Bristol. The canal, completed in 1832,
with 24 locks, remains with many of its features as they were
during its commercial operation which ended in 1932. Many
excellent places exist to view the canal along Route 611 from
Easton to Kintnersville, then Route 32 to Morrisville, and in
Bristol, where there has been major restoration. (610-982-5560).
7. New
Hope. Rts. 202 and 32. 19th century canal town on
the Delaware Canal. New Hope Canal Boat Ride, 149 S. Main Street,
in New Hope. A mule drawn barge ride on the Delaware Canal. June,
July and August. One hour ride. Fee charged. Phone for times and
schedule. (215-862-0758). Visit Locktender's House at Lock #11.
Open weekdays 11 to 4, and Saturdays and Sundays 1 to 4 May
through October. Maintained by Friends of the Delaware Canal.
(215-862-2021).
photo by Gerri Bibiase
|
8.
Manayunk Canal. 1.5 mile section of
Schuylkill Navigation Canal in vibrant canal-front community
of Manayunk in Philadelphia. Gravel towpath is now part of
Schuylkill River Trail. Canal completed in 1818. Good views
of Locks #68, #69 and #70 as well as of ruins of sluice
house, Locktender's house and Flat Rock Dam. The 108 mile
long Schuylkill Navigation, from Port Carbon to
Philadelphia, was completed in 1825, with 72 locks, 62 miles
of canals, and 46 miles of slack water. It operated until
1931. Maintained by Fairmount Park Commission in cooperation
with Manayunk Development Corporation. (215-482-9565, ext.
204).
|
9.
Schuylkill Canal Park. Located at Mont Clare, near
Phoenixville, 2.5 mile section of navigable canal includes Lock
#60 and the 1836 Locktender's House (on the National Register of
Historic Places). House and canal park maintained by Schuylkill
Canal Association. (610-917-0021).
10.
Allegheny Creek Aqueduct. Near Gibralter at the
intersection of Rts. 724 and 568, the 112.5 ft. long aqueduct
carried Schuylkill canal boats over Allegheny Creek. The fully
restored aqueduct (on the National Register of Historical Places)
was built in 1824 and continued in use until 1931. Maintained by
Berks County Parks and Recreation Department. (610-372-8939 or
610-374-8839).
11.
Leesport Lock House. Off Rt. 61, in Leesport,
South Wall Street at Lock #36. House built in 1834 and restored to
1880-1910 period. Available for small group meetings. Fee charged.
Maintained by Leesport Lock House Foundation in cooperation with
Berks County Parks & Recreation Department. (610-926-5665).
12. Port
Clinton. Hamlet, on Rt. 61 four miles north of
Hamburg in a gap in the Blue Mountains, has a 1.1 mile section of
the Schuylkill Canal Towpath Trail and four locks including Lock
#25, the deepest single lock (14 ft.) on the upper canal. Port
Clinton Transportation Museum, on Penn Street, one block west of
Rt. 61, is devoted to the history of the Schuylkill Navigation
Canal. Operated by Northern Berks-Southern Schuylkill Historical
Association. Call for schedule. (610-562-9383).
13. C.
Howard Hiester Canal Center. Part of the Berks
County Heritage Center, it contains the largest private collection
of 19th century canal memorabilia in America. It is located on a
4.5 mile section of the Union Canal towpath, now a bicycle and
walking trail along Tulpehocken Creek between Reading and Blue
Marsh Lake, that includes reconstructed Lock #47. The canal, which
contained 93 locks in its 81 miles between Reading and Middletown,
was in operation from 1828 to 1885. Center, open for tours May
through October, is maintained by Berks County Parks and
Recreation Department. (610-374-8839).
14.
Union Canal Tunnel Park.
90-acre park, 25th and
Union Canal Drive, Lebanon (near Rt. 72) that includes 2/3 mile of
watered Union Canal and the oldest existing transportation tunnel
in the U.S. When completed in 1828, it was 729 feet long. It was
designated a National Civil Engineering Landmark in 1970 and a
National Historic Landmark in 1994. Maintained by Friends of the
Union Canal Tunnel Park. (717-272-1473).
15.
Susquehanna Riverlands. In Salem Township, 8 miles
south of Wilkes-Barre on Rt. 11, one half mile river walking path,
filled canal prism, nature park, and environmental center. Part of
the North Branch Division of the PA Canal System, the division had
43 locks and followed the north branch of the Susquehanna River
169 miles from Northumberland to the NY state line. Park owned and
managed by PA Power and Light Company. (570-542-2306).
16.
Juniata Canal. 1.5 mile restored section of the
Juniata Division of the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal, located at
Waterside Campground & RV Park 3 miles west of Lewistown, near Rt. 22/522. The
canal, which ran 127 miles between Hollidaysburg and Duncan's
Island in the Susquehanna River, required 86 locks. It was in
operation from 1832 to 1888. Visits and Canal Boat Rides by
appointment. Fee charged. (717-248-3974).
Waterside
Campground & RV Park website, Click here!
17.
Hollidaysburg Canal Basin Park. Bedford Street off
Rt. 22. Located at convergence of Juniata Canal and Allegheny
Portage Railroad. Park is landscaped site of two canal basins and
a connecting lock, part of the Allegheny Ridge State Heritage
Park. Museum (fee charged) illustrates transfer of canal boats
from canal to portage railroad. Excellent overlooks at nearby
Chimney Rocks Park. Maintained by Borough of Hollidaysburg.
(814-696-0544).
|
18.
Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historical Site.
Eleven miles west of Hollidaysburg, on US Rt. 22 at
Gallitzin Exit. National Park Service Visitor Center, Lemon
House, Engine House with Inclined Plane #6, and Skew Arch
Bridge. First railroad to cross the Allegheny Mountains, it
carried canal boats up five inclined planes to the summit
and down five planes to Johnstown, forming a 36 mile major
link in the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal System. Built
between 1831 and 1834, it operated until 1857. Fee charged.
Call for schedule. (814-886-6150).
|
19.
Tunnelview Historical Site. Maintained by Indiana
County Parks and accessible only from the Conemaugh Lake facility
of the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, this site makes it possible to
see where in 1830, an 817 foot long tunnel, the third tunnel ever
built in the U.S., was constructed on the Western Division canal
through Bow Ridge, the narrow finger of land within a long
riverbend on the Conemaugh River, 10 miles west of Blairsville.
Three other tunnels were also eventually bored through Bow Ridge.
Of these four, only the portals of two railroad tunnels, built in
1864 and 1907, may now be seen from the Tunnelview site. For more
information phone either the Parks Department (724-463-8636) or
the Corps of Engineers (724-459-7240)
20.
Saltsburg Canal Park. Rts. 286 and 981. Attractive
canal park on the Western Division of the Pennsylvania Main Line
Canal System, where the Loyalhanna Creek joins the Conemaugh River
to from the Kiskimenetas River. The canal ran 105 miles between
Johnstown and Pittsburgh and had 68 locks. It contributed
significantly to the growth and development of the Saltsburg area,
a leading U.S. salt producer during and after the canal's active
years (1829-1863). Managed by the Borough of Saltsburg.
(724-639-3781).
|
21.
Shenango Canal Lock. Rt. 518 at Sharpsville.
Well-preserved lift lock on the Shenango Line of the Erie
Extension Canal. The canal, 136 miles long with 137 locks,
was completed in 1844 and closed in 1871 after the Elk Creek
Aqueduct collapsed. Lock maintained by Borough of
Sharpsville. (412-781-0546).
|
22. Erie
Extension Canal Museum. In Greenville, depicts the
canal era and especially the history of the Erie Extension Canal
from New Castle to the Port of Erie. Many canal artifacts and a
full-sized replica of an original canal boat. Open summer weekend
afternoons and by appointment. Small fee charged. (724-588-7540).
23.
Monongahela Navigation System. Originally 16 dams
with by-pass locks, and now only 12 lock-dam combinations, for
slack water navigation on the Monongahela River south from
Pittsburgh 131 miles to Kingmont, West Virginia, carrying
primarily bituminous coal north to the Pittsburgh area. Operated
by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. (412-395-7501).
24.
Conestoga Canal Lock. In Conestoga River Park in
Safe Harbor on the Susquehanna River, only remaining one of nine
lock-dam combinations in 18 miles of Conestoga Creek Navigation
from Lancaster to Safe Harbor. In operation from 1826 to 1865.
Maintained by Safe Harbor Water Power Corporation. (717-872-0290).
25.
Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal Lock #12. On Rt.
372 at the south end of the Norman Wood Bridge across the
Susquehanna River. It was one of 28 lift locks, constructed
between 1836 and 1839, over the 45 mile canal between
Wrightsville, PA and Havre de Grace, MD. Site is owned and
maintained by PA Power and Light Company. (717-284-6274).
26.
Wayne County Historical Society and Museum. In
Honesdale, at the eastern terminus of the Delaware and Hudson
Canal Company's 16 mile gravity railroad, and the western end of
its canal that crossed the Delaware at Laxawaxen, continued to
Port Jervis, NY, and ended at Roundout, near Kingston, NY, on the
Hudson River, for a total of 108 miles and 108 locks. It operated
from 1828 to 1898. Museum is housed in what was originally the
Canal Company's headquarters, and it contains the largest of any
collection of D&H Canal memorabilia, including a replica of
the "Stourbridge Lion," the first commercial steam
locomotive in America, shipped from England in 1829 to be used on
the gravity railroad; the Eclipse, an original passenger coach
also used on the railroad; and a video of the Canal Company's
history. Fee charged. Call for hours of operation. (570-253-3240).
27.
Delaware and Hudson Canal Aqueduct. Off Rt. 590 at
Lackawaxen. Oldest existing wire suspension bridge in western
hemisphere, recently restored to replicate original 600-foot-long
aqueduct built (by John Roebling in 1844) to carry canal boats
over the Delaware River. Toll house visitor station at east end of
bridge. Under National Park Service management. (717-685-4871).
28.
Locks 6-9/ Pine Grove Feeder . Off Route 443,
Lickdale, From South right on Old State Road, over Iron Bridge.
Well Preserved remains of 4 Lift locks located in a beautiful and
remote, yet accessible area on the Appalachian trail, right on the
Swatara Creek. Referred to as "Lost Locks", these
locks were at the southern end of a Seven mile Reservoir which
served as a water source and a portion of a Navigable feeder for
the Union Canal. Built between 1825 and 1828 the Union canal ran
between Reading and Middletown and was abandoned in 1885.The
Feeder itself and these Locks closed in 1862 after a
monumental flood There are many other remains of Canal archaeology
as well as fossil archaeology nearby, including; another Lock (#5)
,Canal boat basin and an actual ancient fossil bed!
(717-608-4638)
29. Penn
Haven Planes Off the Upper Lehigh Canal/Old
Central New Jersey RR "Rails to trails" section South of
White Haven, reached from Quakake Creek access . Built by 2
competing railroads to provide flood resistant access to the
Lehigh Valley and the Upper Lehigh Navigation. These planes were
constructed to provide access to the Canal/Navigation from the
Beaver Meadows Coal fields, south of Hazleton. There is quite a
bit to see but access is not easy. Excellent side trip for a
Bicycle trip down the old CNJ RR grade (a Rails to Trails site)
from White Haven to Jim Thorpe (717-608-4638)
|