Join Canalway and the Ohio & Erie Canalway National Heritage Area as we prepare to mark 200 years’ worth of journeys along the Ohio & Erie Canalway.
On July 3, 1827, the first voyage along the Ohio & Erie Canal launched a journey of transformation that fueled our young nation’s growth. In honor of this remarkable journey, we want you to launch your own journey on the Ohio & Erie Canal! Our self-guided experience will encourage you to explore canal history throughout 2026 and 2027 and across the first 110 miles of the historic Canalway, the existing Ohio & Erie Canalway National Heritage Area.
Sign up today to receive seasonal itineraries to be completed on your schedule featuring museums, visitors centers, and events that will help you understand the history and culture of the Ohio & Erie Canal in a whole new way.
Sign Up to Launch Your Canal Journey
Did you know: Before the canal, Ohio was one of the poorest states in the country and was cut off from more prosperous markets and states. When complete, the Ohio & Erie Canal connected Lake Erie to the Ohio River, creating water trade route from New York to New Orleans.
You can also create your own Journey Journal to record your experience. Our Journey Journal includes facts and prompts to help you observe Canalway and think about how it impacts you today. Print your Journey Journal or pick one up at the next Canalway event. Whether you treat it as a journal, a junk journal or a scrapbook, we hope you feel inspired to record your journey and connect past to present.
Print your own Journey Journal
Designed to be printed double-sided (flip on the short edge). Next, treating the first page as the cover, fold all pages in the middle, and staple!
About the Ohio & Erie Canalway National Heritage Area
The Ohio & Erie Canalway is a National Heritage Area, designated by Congress in 1996. At its core, the Ohio & Erie Canalway celebrates the significance of the Ohio & Erie Canal and its legacy to the region and nation. It offers opportunities to discover our canal history, as well as a myriad of interconnected places and stories. The Canalway is not just about the past. The cultural, historical, recreational and natural resources of the Ohio & Erie Canalway add to the quality of life in the counties of Cuyahoga, Summit, Stark and Tuscarawas in northeastern Ohio.