About Us
What You'll Find Here
Twelve trips make up this site, arranged in three categories. Lockport and the Mohawk Valley contribute two sightseeing cruises, one about two hours and one of 90 minutes, both rising through the famous locks. The Rochester area, departing from Pittsford and Fairport, carries seven options spanning afternoon, evening and Sunday brunch sailings. Three self-drive rental boats, the Lockmaster fleet and The Harriet, round things out with voyages of three, four or seven nights.
How These Pages Help
A first-time visitor can use these pages to weigh a two-hour Lockport cruise against a week on a hired boat, since the two are very different trips. Families tend to compare durations and departure towns before committing to anything. Renters find the practical detail on the Lockmaster boats and The Harriet, while day-trippers see at a glance which cruises run afternoons, evenings or as a Sunday brunch.
How Tours Get Listed
Only cruises you can actually book appear on this site. Each one runs on the Erie Canal itself, whether that is a narrated trip through the Lockport locks, a brunch cruise out of Fairport, or a self-drive canal-boat rental, and every listing links straight to the operator's own booking page (see Do The Locks Still Work). No reseller duplicates pad the listings. When a cruise stops running, it comes off the site rather than sitting there with outdated times, and options with stronger reader ratings sit above weaker ones in every category.
How The Site Is Funded
This site earns nothing from the canal operators themselves. Booking links go straight to each operator, while a few hotel and nearby-activity links pay a small amount when a reader books, with no effect on the price that reader pays, as the disclosure page explains. Those payments cover hosting and research time.
How Listings Are Checked
Work on each page begins with the operator's own published material: schedules, durations, departure points and what a ticket covers. Official sources, including the New York State Canal Corporation, supply season dates and lock rules, so the 2026 navigation window of May 15 through October 14 comes straight from the canal authority. Nothing here is written from a personal trip; every claim traces back to a listing or an official page.
What This Site Is Not
This site does not run tours, take bookings or speak for the New York State Canal Corporation or any operator. Before travelling, confirm times, prices and departure details with the operator, since schedules can shift with the season and the weather.