a day / 25 miles / 49 minutes
Visit New York's historic canal system and see the locks and bridges that made canal transport possible for almost two centuries. The Mohawk Towpath Byway links scenic, recreational, and historic resources. Architecture from the 18th and 19th centuries endures, as do the landscape and the perseverance of the canal builders.
Day 1
9:00 - 3.2 miles / 6 minutes - 9:06
Harmony Mills Historic District
The first mill was erected in 1837 between the Erie Canal and the Mohawk River. Construction of other mill buildings followed. When completed in 1872, Harmony Mill #3 was the largest individual cotton factory in the world. Locals know the mill as "Mastodon Mill" because of the complete skeleton of a prehistoric mastodon discovered during construction of the building.
9:51 - 10.3 miles / 20 minutes - 10:11
Vischer Ferry Nature and Historic Preserve
This 600-acre preserve includes the area between Riverview Road and the Mohawk River in the Town of Clifton Park. A segment of the original 1825 Erie Canal and Towpath, a segment and a number of structures of the 1842 Enlarged Erie Canal, and the current NY State Barge Canal are accessible within the preserve. The entrance to the preserve includes a restored 1862 Whipple Truss Bridge, a design used widely to bridge the canal during the latter half of the 19th century.
12:11 - 11.3 miles / 22 minutes - 12:34