Erie Canal, Historic waterway in upstate New York, United States

The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York State running 351 miles (565 km) from the Hudson River near Albany to Lake Erie at Buffalo, 120 feet (37 m) wide and 12 feet (3.7 m) deep. It has 35 locks, among them the Waterford Flight, the steepest in the United States, and crosses the Genesee River at Rochester on an aqueduct now converted into a road bridge.

Construction began in 1817 and was completed in 1825, creating the first navigable link between the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes. The project turned New York into the main trading hub of the young nation and encouraged settlement of the western territories.

The canal gave rise to the song "Fifteen Years on the Erie Canal" (also known as "Low Bridge, Everybody Down"), written around 1913 by vaudeville composer Thomas S. Allen to remember the mules that towed the barges. Goethe noted in his Maxims and Reflections that New York grew "excessively rich" after the canal opened. Today the New York State Canalway Trail follows the waterway for cyclists.

The waterway is now mainly accessible for recreational activities, with walking and cycling paths running alongside much of the route. Several sections also offer boat rides that let visitors see the preserved locks and bridges up close.

The cost of moving goods between Albany and Buffalo dropped by around 95 percent after the canal opened, while travel time fell from several weeks to about ten days. This change made the waterway one of the most important transport routes in 19th century North America.