USA canals circa 1825

The following is a list of canals in the United States:

Transportation canals in operation

This list includes active canals and artificial waterways that are maintained for use by boats. Although some abandoned canals and drainage canals have stretches that can be paddled in a small craft, such as a canoe, they are not included in this list.

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (February 2022)
Name Place State Navigable length Notes
Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal Chesapeake VA 8.5 mi (13.7 km) Two canals 30 miles (48 km) apart in two states
Currituck County NC 5.5 mi (8.9 km)
Alligator–Pungo Canal Hyde County, Tyrell County NC 22 mi (35 km)
Assawoman Canal Sussex County DE 4 mi (6.4 km) Part of the Intracoastal Waterway
Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway East Coast Part of the Intracoastal Waterway
Augusta Canal Augusta; Columbia County GA 6.8 mi (10.9 km) Not navigable to other waterways
Bricktown Canal Bricktown OK 1 mi (1.6 km) Has water taxi service. Not navigable to other waterways
Barkley Canal Lyon County KY 1.25 mi (2.01 km)
Cal-Sag Channel Cook County IL 16 mi (26 km) Part of the Illinois Waterway
Calcasieu Ship Channel Calcasieu Parish, Cameron Parish LA 36.5 mi (58.7 km)
Canaveral Barge Canal Merritt Island FL 6 mi (9.7 km)
Cape Cod Canal Barnstable County MA 7 mi (11 km) Part of the Intracoastal Waterway
Cape May Canal Cape May County NJ 3.3 mi (5.3 km) Part of the Intracoastal Waterway
Cayuga–Seneca Canal Seneca County NY 20 mi (32 km)
Chain of Rocks Canal Madison County IL 9 mi (14 km) The most downstream lock on the Upper Mississippi River
Champlain Canal Upstate New York NY 60 mi (97 km)
Chesapeake & Delaware Canal Cecil County MD 14 mi (23 km) Part of the Intracoastal Waterway
New Castle County DE
Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal Cook County, Will County IL 28 mi (45 km) Part of the Illinois Waterway
Clam Lake Canal Cadillac MI 0.33 mi (0.53 km)
Corpus Christi Ship Channel Corpus Christi TX
Cumberland and Oxford Canal Naples ME 0.04 mi (0.064 km) Only the Songo Lock is still in use
Delcambre Canal Iberia Parish LA 12 mi (19 km)
Dismal Swamp Canal Chesapeake VA 22 mi (35 km) Part of the Intracoastal Waterway
Camden County NC
Duluth Ship Canal Duluth MN 0.33 mi (0.53 km)
Erie Canal Upstate New York NY 363 mi (584 km)
Galveston and Brazos Canal Brazoria County TX
Gowanus Canal Brooklyn NY 1.8 mi (2.9 km)
Great Lakes Waterway Great Lakes region Has many branches. Reaches into Canada
Gulf Intracoastal Waterway Gulf Coast 1,050 mi (1,690 km) Part of the Intracoastal Waterway
Harlem River Ship Canal New York NY 8 mi (13 km) Now indistinguishable from the Harlem River
Haulover Canal Brevard County FL 1.25 mi (2.01 km) Part of the Intracoastal Waterway
Houston Ship Channel Houston TX 50 mi (80 km)
Illinois Waterway Northern and Central Illinois IL 336 mi (541 km)
Indiana Harbor and Ship Canal East Chicago IN 6.75 mi (10.86 km) Has two branches
Industrial Canal (Inner Harbor Navigation Canal) New Orleans LA 5.5 mi (8.9 km)
Intracoastal Waterway 3,000 mi (4,800 km) Consists of many canals and natural waterbodies
Keweenaw Waterway Houghton County MI 24.5 mi (39.4 km)
Lake Washington Ship Canal Seattle WA 8 mi (13 km)
Lauritzen Canal Richmond CA 0.32 mi (0.51 km)
Lechmere Canal East Cambridge MA 0.2 mi (0.32 km)
Lewes and Rehoboth Canal Sussex County DE 9 mi (14 km) Part of the Intracoastal Waterway
Louisville and Portland Canal Louisville KY 2 mi (3.2 km)
Matagorda Ship Channel Matagorda County TX 2 mi (3.2 km)
McClellan–Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System AR 445 mi (716 km)
Eastern Oklahoma OK
Ogden Slip Chicago IL 0.35 mi (0.56 km)
Okeechobee Waterway South Florida FL 154 mi (248 km)
Oswego Canal Oswego County NY 23.7 mi (38.1 km)
Point Pleasant Canal Point Pleasant NJ 2 mi (3.2 km) Part of the Intracoastal Waterway
Port Townsend Ship Canal Jefferson County WA 0.9 mi (1.4 km)
Portage Lake Canal Houghton County MI 2.5 mi (4.0 km) Part of Keweenaw Waterway
Sabine–Neches Waterway Southeast Texas TX 64 mi (103 km)
Calcasieu Parish LA
Sacramento Deep Water Ship Channel Solano County, Yolo County CA 43 mi (69 km)
Smith Canal Stockton CA 2.4 mi (3.9 km)
St. Clair Flats Canal Clay Township MI
St. Lawrence Seaway Jefferson County, St. Lawrence County NY 370 mi (600 km) Spans into Canada
St. Lucie Canal (C-44) Martin County FL 26 mi (42 km) Part of the Okeechobee Waterway
Stockton Channel Stockton CA 2.5 mi (4.0 km)
Stockton Deepwater Shipping Channel San Joaquin County, Contra Costa County CA 41 mi (66 km)
Shinnecock Canal Hampton Bays NY 0.9 mi (1.4 km)
St. Marys Falls Canal (Soo Locks) Sault Ste. Marie MI 2 mi (3.2 km) Part of the Great Lakes Waterway
Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal Door County WI 1.3 mi (2.1 km)
Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway Northeast Mississippi MS 234 mi (377 km)
Southwest Alabama AL
Victoria Barge Canal Victoria County, Calhoun County TX 35 mi (56 km)
West Neebish Channel Chippewa County MI 6 mi (9.7 km) Part of the Great Lakes Waterway
Wiley-Dondero Canal St. Lawrence County NY 9.2 mi (14.8 km) Part of the St. Lawrence Seaway

The United States also built the Panama Canal on territory it controlled.

Abandoned transportation canals

See also: History of turnpikes and canals in the United States
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (February 2022)
Name State Opened Closed Length Notes
Alexandria Canal VA 1843 1886 7 mi (11 km)
Bald Eagle and Spring Creek Navigation PA 1837 1865
Bank's Canal VA
Beardstown and Sangamon Canal IL
Beaver and Erie Canal PA 1844 1872 136 mi (219 km) Part of the Pennsylvania Canal
Bellows Falls Canal VT 1802 1858
Black River Canal NY 1855 1925 35 mi (56 km)
Blackstone Canal RI 1828 1848 45 mi (72 km)
MA
Brunswick–Altamaha Canal GA 1854 1860 12 mi (19 km)
Cascade Locks and Canal OR 1896 1938
WA
Celilo Canal OR 1915 1957
WA
Chemung Canal NY 1833 1878
Chenango Canal NY 1836 1878 97 mi (156 km)
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal MD 1830 1924 184.5 mi (296.9 km)
DC
Clinton–Kalamazoo Canal MI 1843 13 mi (21 km) Partially completed
Codorus Navigation PA 1832 1850 11 mi (18 km)
Colbert Shoals Canal AL Flooded by Pickwick Lake
Columbia Canal SC 1824 Now used for hydroelectic power
Conestoga Navigation PA 1826 18 mi (29 km)
Conewago Canal PA 1797 1 mi (1.6 km)
Cross Florida Barge Canal FL 30 mi (48 km) Partially completed
Culpeper Gold Mine Canal VA
Cumberland and Oxford Canal ME 1832 1873 38 mi (61 km) Songo Lock remains open
Deep Run Canal VA
Delaware and Hudson Canal PA 1828 1917 108 mi (174 km)
NY
Delaware and Raritan Canal NJ 1834 1932 66 mi (106 km)
Delaware Canal PA 1832 1931 60 mi (97 km) Part of the Pennsylvania Canal
Des Moines Rapids Canal IA
Enfield Falls Canal CT 1829 5.25 mi (8.45 km)
Farmington Canal (New Haven and Northampton Canal) CT 1828 1847 56 mi (90 km) Continued into Massachusetts as the Hampshire and Hampden Canal
Ficklin's Canal VA
Fox–Wisconsin Waterway WI Partially restored
Franklin Line PA 1833 1837 22 mi (35 km) Part of the Pennsylvania Canal
Fredericksburg Canal VA
Genesee Valley Canal NY 1840 1878 124 mi (200 km)
Hampshire and Hampden Canal MA 1847 30 mi (48 km) Continued into Connecticut as the Farmington Canal
Hennepin Canal IL 1907 75.2 mi (121.0 km)
Hocking Canal OH 1841 1890 56 mi (90 km)
Illinois and Michigan Canal IL 1848 1933 96 mi (154 km)
Indiana Central Canal IN 8 mi (13 km) Partially completed
James River and Kanawha Canal VA Only Virginia portion completed
Junction Canal PA 1854 1871 18 mi (29 km)
NY
Landsford Canal SC 1823 2 mi (3.2 km)
Lehigh Canal PA 1821 1942 72 mi (116 km) A mule-drawn tourist barge operates at the National Canal Museum
Leiper Canal PA 1829 1852 3 mi (4.8 km)
Love Canal NY
Main Line of Public Works PA
Miami Canal FL
Miami and Erie Canal OH 1913 274 mi (441 km)
Middlesex Canal MA 1803 1851 27 mi (43 km)
Milan Canal OH 1839 1868
Mississippi River–Gulf Outlet Canal LA 1968 2009 76 mi (122 km)
Morris Canal NJ 1829 1924 107 mi (172 km)
Muscle Shoals Canal AL Drowned under Wilson Lake?
Ohio and Erie Canal OH 1827 308 mi (496 km)
Patowmack Canal (Potomac Canal) MD 1795 1828 Consists of the Little Falls Canal, Great Falls Canal, Seneca Falls Canal, Payne's Falls Canal, and House Falls Canal
VA
Pawtucket Canal MA 1796
Pennsylvania Canal PA
Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal PA 1840 1877 82 mi (132 km)
OH
Portage Canal WI 1876 1951 2 mi (3.2 km)
Powell's Canal VA
Rapidan Dam Canal of the Rappahannock Navigation VA
Sandy and Beaver Canal PA 1848 1852 73 mi (117 km)
OH
Santee Canal SC 1800 1865 22 mi (35 km)
Savannah Ogeechee Canal GA
Schuylkill Navigation PA 1825 1931 108 mi (174 km)
Schuylkill and Susquehanna Navigation Company PA
Delaware and Schuylkill Navigation Company PA
Skinker's Canal VA
Snake Castle Canal VA
South Hadley Canal MA 1795
Spring Valley Canal VA
Susquehanna Canal MD 1802 1840 9 mi (14 km)
Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal PA 1840 1894 43 mi (69 km)
MD
Suwannee Canal GA
Taylor's Canal VA
Union Canal PA 1828 1885 82 mi (132 km)
Wabash and Erie Canal OH 1843 1874 460 mi (740 km)
IN
Walhonding Canal OH 1842 1896 25 mi (40 km)
Warren County Canal OH 1840 1848 20 mi (32 km)
Washington City Canal DC 1815
Wheatley's Canal VA
Whitewater Canal IN 1839 76 mi (122 km)
Wiconisco Canal PA 1845 1889 12 mi (19 km)

Irrigation, industrial, and drainage canals

Arizona

California

Florida

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Louisiana

Massachusetts

Michigan

Nebraska

New Jersey

Texas

Natural inlets called canals

Lynn Canal and Portland Canal in Alaska and Hood Canal in Washington are natural inlets that use the name canal.

Canals by state

These are man made canals in each state that have been given a name and may consist of a narrow irrigation or drainage ditch to a large ship, municipal water and/or irrigation canal. States with extensive agricultural acreage may have many hundred to thousands of canals. USGS Topographical map numbers and latitudes and longitudes of each canal, usable as inputs into Google, Bing, etc. maps, are usually given.

Canals in each state
State Number
of canals		 Ref. State Number
of canals		 Ref.
Alabama 21 [1] Montana 858 [2]
Alaska 23 [3] Nebraska 209 [4]
Arizona 289 [5] Nevada 263 [6]
Arkansas 6 [7] New Hampshire 10 [8]
California 2,903 [9] New Jersey 41 [10]
Colorado 1,888 [11] New Mexico 69 [12]
Connecticut 8 [8] New York 116 [13]
Delaware 54 [14] North Carolina 151 [15]
Florida 245 [16] North Dakota 69 [17]
Georgia 25 [18] Ohio 22 [19]
Hawaii 125 [20] Oklahoma 9 [21]
Idaho 1,540 [22] Oregon 661 [23]
Illinois 278 [24] Pennsylvania 11 [25]
Indiana 2,239 [26] Rhode Island 3 [8]
Iowa 299 [27] South Carolina 33 [28]
Kansas 27 [29] South Dakota 91 [30]
Kentucky 62 [31] Tennessee 61 [32]
Louisiana 45 [33] Texas 299 [34]
Maine 7 [8] Utah 575 [35]
Maryland 44 [36] Vermont 1 [8]
Massachusetts 26 [8] Virginia 59 [37]
Michigan 1,668 [38] Washington 237 [39]
Minnesota 1,451 [40] West Virginia 2 [41]
Mississippi 185 [42] Wisconsin 89 [43]
Missouri 287 [44] Wyoming 1085 [45]
Total canals 18,241

References

  1. ^ "Alabama canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  2. ^ "Montana canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  3. ^ "Alaska canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  4. ^ "Nebraska canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  5. ^ "Arizona canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  6. ^ "Nevada canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  7. ^ "Arkansas canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "Canals in New England". NewEnglandTowns.org. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  9. ^ "California canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  10. ^ "New Jersey canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  11. ^ "Colorado canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  12. ^ "New Mexico canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  13. ^ "New York canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  14. ^ "Delaware canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  15. ^ "North Carolina canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  16. ^ "Florida canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  17. ^ "North Dakota canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  18. ^ "Georgia canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  19. ^ "Ohio canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  20. ^ "Hawaii canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  21. ^ "Oklahoma canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  22. ^ "Idaho canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  23. ^ "Oregon canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
  24. ^ "Illinois canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  25. ^ "Pennsylvania canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  26. ^ "Indiana canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  27. ^ "Iowa canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  28. ^ "South Carolina canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  29. ^ "Kansas canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  30. ^ "South Dakota canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  31. ^ "Kentucky canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  32. ^ "Tennessee canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  33. ^ "Louisiana canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  34. ^ "Texas canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  35. ^ "Utah canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  36. ^ "Maryland canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  37. ^ "Virginia canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  38. ^ "Michigan canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  39. ^ "Washington canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  40. ^ "Minnesota canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  41. ^ "West Virginia canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  42. ^ "Mississippi canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  43. ^ "Wisconsin canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  44. ^ "Missouri canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
  45. ^ "Wyoming canals". HomeTownLocator, Inc. Retrieved April 14, 2012.

See also

Categories