Three sources of information proved to be particularly useful to us as we cruised along the canal:
Recreational Chart 14786 New York State Barge Canal System, published
by NOAA. 11th Ed., Oct. 5, 1991. This provided navigational
charts of the Erie Canal and Oswego Canal, among others. However,
the charts of the Erie Canal only went from Lyons to Waterford.
Cruising Guide, published by the New York State Canal Corporation.
These were maps, rather than navigational charts, and were not intended
to be used for navigational purposes. However, they covered the entire
canal system, so we used them on the Erie Canal between Rochester and Lyons.
They were especially useful throughout the trip for indicating where canal
parks, marinas, and points of historical interest were located.
Marian, Thomas W. and Rumsey, W.J., “A Cruising Guide to the Northeast’s
Inland Waterways,” (International Marine, Camden, Maine, 1995). This
book provided historical information and detailed information about locks
and marinas. My narrative sometimes includes information from this
book.