Great Loop: Erie Canal E15-E17 – Little Falls

Days 152-153: June 18-19, 2023

Locking to Little Falls – Locks E15-E17

The trip for the day had three locks on the agenda and took us to Little Falls, NY. We seem to be figuring out this whole locks thing and may just be pros by the end! Lock E17 at Little Falls is the tallest lock on the Erie Canal at 40.5 feet so after we were through and docked, we had to check it out on the ground. Mayli’s theme for the day was ’80s complete with side ponytail and leg warmers.

Moss Island Hiking

The E17 lock is located on Moss Island on the river. Along the canal side there’s are cliffs that attracts rock climbers. With no climbing gear, we opted for the trail that started next to the lock. The lock master told us about the deep natural potholes further in on the trail and we went off in search of them. We found some of the potholes as well as amazing cliffs and nature scenery though this was by far the least maintained trail we’d done as it was very difficult to follow. Luckily, we couldn’t really get too lost on this small island.

Checking out Little Falls

Tonia, Mayli, and Carol walked into town and found the HUGE antique and local vendor market shop. The had a good time perusing the wares there and even found a salad bowl shaped like a dug-out watermelon with accompanying tongs for Barbara. It was a great town to grab some provisions in too with a nice butcher shop and grocery store. The harbor caretakers were great and even picked up Tonia, Mayli, Carol, and Barbara with loads of groceries – it all just barely fit in his truck bed!