Canals in Upstate NY 3 Followers There are four main canals active in Upstate NY (Erie, Oswego, Champlain, and Cayuga–Seneca). There are also many now defunct and or abandoned canals in Upstate New York as well such as the Black River, Chenango, Genesee Valley Canals as well as others. Many of these are converted into hiking or biking paths. This is a site about these Upstate New York treasures.