Reviews: Oswego Canal - Between Locks 7 & 8

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Oswego Canal - Between Locks 7 & 8

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Oswego Canal 22.50

Lat / Lon: N 43° 27.301' / W 076° 30.482'

4.33

(3)

4.33 out of 5 stars

Review for Oswego Canal - Between Locks 7 & 8

Reviewed by: G. Jay Nelson, Pegasus, on Jul 25, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 44'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 4

The Oswego Canal Wall is located between locks 7 and 8 (immediately beyond the lock 7 exit on the starboard side of the canal headed west) and is about 300 feet in length with well-spaced mooring rings. The wall has no services of any kind, but it is calm water alongside a grassy area that is very pet friendly. Cellular coverage was good on our Verizon service. There is a nice view of the Oswego River from the lock canal. Within easy walking distance is Bridge Street (the bridge over the canal and river) where to the east is a Subway and the Azteca Mexican Grill, and to the west is a Dunkin Donuts and a couple of pizza places. It is a short Uber ride (or bit of a hike) to a Price Chopper, Walmart Superstore, and several restaurants. Note that the locks operate from 0800 to 2100 through peak navigation season, 17 May through 11 September. You will not be able to leave for Lake Ontario until 0800. We hung out on the wall comfortably for two days waiting for heavy weather to pass over Lake Ontario.

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Review for Oswego Canal - Between Locks 7 & 8

Reviewed by: Capt. Mac Rubel, Contributing Editor on Jul 12, 2021
LOA: 48'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 5

Cons: No Power, No Water, No Pumpout

Pros: Free. 300 feet of new wall with new cruiser spaced cleats instead of barge spaced bollards. Relatively quiet, even with the road bridge only a hundred yards away. No boat or car traffic; only a few boats passing at idle between the locks and only during the day. Total wave protection and good wind protection. No WiFi but good cellular on AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. 13' dockside depth. Nice grassy area for pets. Short walk to many stores and restaurants but a half mile to the marina district. About as good as it gets if you are just interested in a rest.

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Review for Oswego Canal - Between Locks 7 & 8

Reviewed by: Howard Entman on Jun 11, 2018
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 45'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 4

There is 300 feet of good wall, with another 150 of 'bad' wall on the northern edge. There is no wifi available, but if you ask nicely at the Quality Inn about 1/4 mile away, they will give you their wifi password which is good in their lobby. The downtown is less than 1/2 mile away, across a bridge, and has several restaurants and stores, including a very good book store.In the other direction from the wall, there is a very interesting museum, "Safe Haven" which does an excellent job of describing the internment camp in Oswego during WWII. I highly recommend this visit (I am not usually a museum lover).

The downsides of staying on the wall are the lack of power and water; and the fact that you cannot leave to go north into Lake Ontario until the lock opens in the morning. If you need an early departure, then there are two marinas on the other side of lock 8, just 1/4 mile north of the wall.

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