History & Culture · Central New York
Manlius Holds Green Lakes and Canal Traces
Green Lakes State Park and Old Erie Canal remnants give Manlius blue-green water, forest, and towpath history.
Published June 23, 2026 · Last verified June 23, 2026
Manlius has a blue-green outdoors story with canal history close by. Green Lakes State Park has two glacial lakes, Green Lake and Round Lake, surrounded by upland forest. Both lakes are meromictic, meaning the surface and bottom waters do not mix in fall and spring.
Nearby, Old Erie Canal State Historic Park preserves a 36-mile stretch of canal corridor where visitors can see remnants such as stone aqueducts. The Town of Manlius history gives the civic frame, noting the town was created in 1794.
Together, the town comes across as green water, old towpath, and Central New York settlement.
Green Lakes gives Manlius a rare natural image, while the Old Erie Canal gives it a working-history line. One is quiet water and forest; the other is stonework, towpath, and movement.
That pairing keeps Manlius from feeling like a Syracuse suburb with pretty parkland alone. The town sits near unusual glacial lakes and a canal corridor that helped shape Central New York travel.
It is an easy story to enjoy because both pieces are visible. You can picture the lake color, then picture the old canal route, and suddenly Manlius has more depth than a quick road map suggests.