It's interesting to me for somewhat similar reasons - canals were big business where I live but most fell out of use in the mid-1800s and the paths were often used for railroads and highways so little tends to remain.

The most interesting one in my area was the Delaware and Hudson Canal and Gravity Railroad. The railroad part was used for the fourteen miles nearest the coal mines as a canal would have been impractical - both ends of that were about the same elevation, but a rise of about 1,000 feet exists between them. One lock still exists in the area, which has been acquired by the historical society for preservation.