D&H Canal

Before planes, before trucks, before trains, there were the canals.

Just north of New Paltz, where I live, is a town called High Falls. Actually, I think it is officially a hamlet. I guess they’re really into Shakespeare… :o)

In this tiny town, you’ll find a bunch of excellent restaurants, some really cool specialty shops, and the D&H Canal Historical Society and Museum.

There is a wealth of information on the 108-mile-long Delaware & Hudson Canal, which had 108 locks that were used to raise and lower barges as they traversed from the anthracite coal mines of Pennsylvania, to Kingston, New York, where they had access to the Hudson River and the rest of the world. For instance, the canal is 15-feet-wide and 15-feet-deep, with each lock providing an average change in elevation of 12.6 feet. In this particular stretch of the canal, the locks are 90 feet long.

The canal was active from 1828 to 1898 and gradually fell into disrepair with time. However, there is a five lock walk that you can take that will give you great access to, and even greater appreciation for, the canal. The entire canal was built by hand in fewer than three years - amazing when you consider the length and logistics involved!

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USA-Canada / USA-New York

Lat: 41° 49' 35.14" N
Long: 75° 8' 40.28" W

→ maps.google.com [EXT]

Precision is: Unknown / Undeclared.

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