Black River Canal Museum

The Black River Canal Museum in Boonville, NY is a testament to the contribution that the canal brought to the development of the region. The exhibit hall displays artifacts, photographs that trace the development of the canal as well as a full scale replica of a canal boat.






Inside, one can see more artifacts, the living quarters of the crew, as well as a life-size mule model.







You have to visit the museum to appreciate the true value of the Black River Canal.


The museum is located at the intersection of Main Street and Route 12 in Boonville.

The Kayuta Lake Dam

One of my favorite spots on Kayuta is by the dam.


The Kayuta Lake Dam was built along the Black River creating our beautiful lake. Completed in 1894, it is a masonry, stone and gravity dam 26 feet in height and 240 feet long. It was used as a hydroelectric generating facility by Algonquin Power from January 1988. Although the agreement was for 40 years, it has recently stopped its operations in the last year or so. Why it should do so when everyone else is looking for alternative energy sources, I can't fathom.



Right now, it's a great place to hang out, to savor the view, listen to the cascading waters and just enjoy the peace and quiet. One can also go fishing or take a canoe down river to Forestport. If you do, watch out for the bald eagle that has been spotted there before.

Egypt Road Trails

It's easy to find good hiking trails near Kayuta Lake. On Egypt Road, just 3/4 mile from Route 12 in Alder Creek is the Rail Track, one of the two trailheads for the Egypt Road Trails. This is one of the cross-country trails maintained by the Black River Environnmental Improvement Association (BREIA) which are open for hiking and biking in the summer.



Of the many trails one can take from this parking lot, we just decided to go hike in for about a mile.








The photographers in the group had fun taking pictures of the many varieties of mushrooms by the side of the path.