The erie canal is a manmade waterway that joins the great lakes with the hudson river. The ohio & erie canal would go underneath the national road at hebron ohio. Erie Canal Erie Canal Canal Erie The main section of the erie canal spans nearly 340 miles and it stretches from buffalo to albany. Where does the erie canal begin . Fifteen miles was the common distance a mule or horse would work before resting. This canal linked new york’s hudson river with lake erie at buffalo. Hudson river near albany, new york (42.7834°n 73.6767°w) end point: The erie canal was 4 feet deep, 40 feet wide, and 360 miles long. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the great lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time.at its deepest point lake erie is 210 feet (64 metres) deep. Taking advantage of the mohawk river gap in the appalachian mountains, the erie canal, 363 miles (584 km) long, was the first canal in the united states to connect we...