The 'Waterford Flight' refers to a series of locks that raise the Barge Canal (and once, the Erie) around Cohoes Falls. I included them on the route for my bike ride this past weekend, and came away with a few pictures as well.
The first lock, working up from Waterford, is E-2. The lock itself is open to the public, so you can walk around up on top and alongside the lock to get a close-up view of how much the water changes when a boat or ship passes through.
The Waterford Flight
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Right next to the Barge Canal lock sit the locks from the Erie Canal, now used as a spillway to route excess water around the big lock. You can walk right up to these too. And while the E-2 lock impresses because of its size, these locks impress because of the craftsmanship shown in the cutting and placement of the stone.
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Lock E-3, viewed from a small park below the lock. You can get a sense of how massive the locks are by comparing the lock gates to the excavator near the lock.
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As I passed Locks E-5 and E-6 I could tell they too had spillways to route excess water around the locks, as I could hear the water. At Lock E-4 I looked across the basin and saw a patient heron waiting at the top of the spillway, waiting to spear a meal or two.
Past the locks the road opens out into a boat launch area placed between the Mohawk River and a residential neighborhood. The view upriver opens up as well.
Past the locks the road opens out into a boat launch area placed between the Mohawk River and a residential neighborhood. The view upriver opens up as well.
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Thanks for the wonderful tour! I really enjoy learning about these lock systems.
So should the man-made cascades in the spillways be cataloged in the waterfall list? We have Holley Falls listed and a page on it. I have gone out and shot lock 32 last summer and will do a page on it soon. ... oh and lockport has a nice run of them too.
So should the man-made cascades in the spillways be cataloged in the waterfall list? We have Holley Falls listed and a page on it. I have gone out and shot lock 32 last summer and will do a page on it soon. ... oh and lockport has a nice run of them too.