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How did the Erie Canal connect the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Map showing the route of the Erie Canal across New York state, running from Buffalo on Lake Erie in the west through cities including Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, and Albany, and ending at the Hudson River near Troy and Cohoes. The map also highlights nearby lakes, connecting canals, and major waterways in the region.
Erie Canal

The Erie Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean by creating an extensive inland waterway system across New York state.1

The canal linked Lake Erie at Buffalo to the Hudson River at Albany. From Albany, the Hudson River provided a natural navigable path south to the Atlantic Ocean at New York City.23

To overcome significant elevation changes—totaling more than 150 meters—engineers constructed 83 stone locks and 18 aqueducts along the 584-km (363-mile) route. By utilizing the Mohawk River gap through the Appalachian Mountains, the canal successfully established the first water-based trade link between the American interior and the Atlantic coast.2