Erie Canal Closes October 14 — Last Day Through Pittsford's Lock E-32 This Season
The Short Version
- Erie Canal Lock E-32 in Pittsford closes at exactly 6:00 PM on Wednesday, October 14 — the hard deadline set by the NY State Canal Corporation.
- The 2026 season is the 202nd consecutive year of navigation on New York's canals; the 203rd season is anticipated to open in May 2027.
- The Sam Patch offers 90-minute narrated cruises through Lock E-32 from 12 Schoen Place — adult tickets are $30, and these are among the last public cruises of the season.
- Watching a locking from the canal-side at Schoen Place is free and takes about 15–20 minutes; the lock chambers measure 328 feet by 45 feet.
- Peak extended hours (8 AM–9 PM) ended September 10; the lock is now on standard 8 AM–6 PM hours through closing day.
Erie Canal Lock 32 in Pittsford — the one you've walked past at Schoen Place — closes for the 2026 navigation season at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, October 14. That's eleven days from now. After that, the lock goes quiet until May.
The Canal Closes at 6 PM on October 14
The Canal Closes at 6 PM on October 14
The NY State Canal Corporation set the hard close: 6:00 PM on October 14, 2026. Per the official notice, "All vessel operators must plan their trips accordingly to ensure they exit the system by that time."
Lock E-32 ran extended hours — 8 AM to 9 PM — through peak season, which ended September 10. Now it's back to standard: 8 AM to 6 PM daily. October 14 runs those same standard hours, and 6:00 PM is the wall.
If you're planning a final trip through the system, arrive at the lock well before 6:00 PM on October 14. The margins are narrow — plan accordingly.
One More Reason to Get Down to Schoen Place
One More Reason to Get Down to Schoen Place
The Sam Patch — a replica 19th-century packet boat operated by Rochester By Water — departs from 12 Schoen Place for 90-minute narrated cruises through Lock E-32. Adult tickets are $30; seniors and veterans pay $28; students $25; children under 3 board free. These are among the last public cruises of the 2026 season.
If you'd rather watch from the bank, it costs nothing. A locking-through cycle takes about 15 to 20 minutes — enough to watch the gates close, the chamber drain or fill, and the far doors open. October light along the towpath at Schoen Place makes it a good reason to get out. There will still be boats moving through this week, not the summer parade, but enough to catch one if you time it.
After October 14, the lock goes dormant until May.
Lock E-32: 202 Seasons of Moving Water Through Pittsford
Lock E-32: 202 Seasons of Moving Water Through Pittsford
The 2026 navigation season is the 202nd consecutive year of travel on New York's canals. Lock E-32 has been part of this rhythm since the Erie Canal first opened through Pittsford — every season, same gates, same water.
The lock chambers measure 328 feet by 45 feet. Those dimensions are visible from the bank at Schoen Place. That scale tells you what 19th-century engineers decided was worth building when they set out to connect the Great Lakes to the Hudson.
The 203rd Season Opens in May
The 203rd Season Opens in May
The Canal Corporation anticipates opening the 2027 navigation season in May — the 203rd season of operation on New York's canals. Specific opening dates come through a future Notice to Mariners; boaters can register for those alerts at canals.ny.gov.
The winter closure gives the Canal Corporation time for maintenance inside the lock chambers — the steady work that keeps a 19th-century structure running on a 21st-century schedule.
October 14, 6:00 PM. Lock E-32 closes for the season.
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