New York's unique and majestic canals stretch over 524 miles from Albany to Buffalo and between the southern tier counties of Tompkins and Schuyler to the Quebec border. While much has been written on the nation building Erie Canal of the nineteenth century, much less has covered the third iteration of the waterway, the New York State Barge Canal. Deemed a historic corridor by the Federal Parks system in 2000, the Empire State's canal system has been in continuous operation since 1825, longer than any other man made transportation system in North America. Author Susan P. Gateley reveals the history, beauty and present day state of New York State's grand canal system.