Questions Before You Book
Booking Questions
Every cruise on this site is booked straight with the company that runs the boat: Lockport Locks & Erie Canal Cruises, Erie Canal Cruises, Rochester By Water, Colonial Belle or Erie Canal Adventures (see Do The Locks Still Work). Choosing a tour card opens that operator's own live booking page, where seats, departure times and availability appear in real time. The operator sets the final price and the cancellation terms, so the details shown there are the ones that count.
Canal cruises generally run from May into October, since the locks close for winter and ice settles over the channel. In 2026, Lockport's season runs May 11 to October 16, and Herkimer's runs May 22 to October 12. Dates shift each year and vary by operator, so confirm yours on the operator's booking page before fixing travel plans.
Booking And Payment
This site is fully independent and written without any operator's input or approval. Links to the cruise operators themselves earn this site nothing at all; they exist only so you can book straight with the company running the boat. Some hotel links and certain nearby tour links are affiliate links, which may pay a commission if you book through them, at no extra cost to you.
Choosing A Cruise
The tours page sets out all twelve options side by side, from narrated sightseeing cruises in Lockport and Herkimer to boats you captain yourself. If you already know the shape of trip you want, the trip-type hubs split the list into lock cruises, river and canal cruises, and canal boat rentals, so you can compare within one style instead of across all of them.
How do I book an Erie Canal boat tour, and does the listing open the operator's own booking page?
Booking happens on the operator's own page, never through a middleman. When you pick a tour card, it opens that operator's live booking page, where you choose your date, see real availability and pay the operator directly, which means the price and cancellation terms shown there are always the final ones.
When do Erie Canal boat tours run? The season runs from May into October, while the navigation locks are open.
The canal's navigation season runs from May into October, and every cruise on this site fits inside that window. Lockport's 2026 schedule runs May 11 to October 16, while Herkimer's runs May 22 to October 12, with reduced frequency in the shoulder weeks. Since dates shift each year, confirm the day you want on the operator's booking page.
Which cruises pass through a lock? The Lockport cruise, the Lock 32 cruises in Pittsford and the Herkimer cruise all do.
Lock passage is the headline at Lockport, where the listed cruise travels through the locks, and at Pittsford, where the Lock 32 cruises from Rochester By Water pass through Lock 32 itself. Herkimer's sightseeing cruise also works the locks on its route. Colonial Belle's afternoon and evening lock cruises out of Fairport include lock passages as well.
How much does a cruise cost? Prices live on each operator's booking page, and the operator's page is always the final word.
Published rates give a sense of the range: Lockport lists $26 for adults and $12.50 for children 4 to 10, while Herkimer lists $29 for adults and $20 for children 4 to 12. Rental and meal cruise pricing appears on the operator's own booking page, which is always the final word on what you pay.
Can I rent a boat and travel the canal myself? Yes, Erie Canal Adventures charters self-skippered Lockmaster canal boats by the night.
Erie Canal Adventures charters self-skippered Lockmaster canal boats in 34, 41 and 42 foot lengths, along with The Harriet, for trips of 3, 4 or 7 nights on the canal (see Boat Ride Lengths). You set your own route and pace, tying up at towns along the way. Details on provisioning and boat handling are on the operator's booking page.
Are there cruises with meals? Yes, a lunch cruise in Pittsford and a Sunday brunch cruise out of Fairport.
Two options on the roster build a meal into the trip. Rochester By Water pairs a lunch with its Lock 32 cruise in Pittsford, and Colonial Belle runs a Sunday brunch cruise out of Fairport. Both last about the same length as the standard sightseeing trips, so you give up little time for the food.
Does this site get paid when I book? Operator links pay nothing; some hotel and nearby tour links are affiliate links.
Links to the canal operators pay this site nothing; you book with them directly at the same price anyone else pays. Some hotel links and certain nearby tour links on the site are affiliate links, which earn a commission at no extra cost to you. That split is spelled out in full on the disclosure page.
Which tour is right for me? The decision picker on the homepage and the trip-type pages match cruises to your dates and style.
If you are torn between a narrated lock cruise, a meal trip or a self-skippered charter, the decision picker on the homepage walks you through a few quick questions and narrows the twelve options down. The trip-type pages then let you compare within a single style, side by side, before you open any booking page.
12 tours are compared on the tours page.