Boaters can take advantage of free lockage on the weekend of October 10 and 11 from 10 am- 6 pm to view the fall colors from the Fox River. Locks at DePere, Little Kaukauna (Little Rapids), Appleton, and Little Chute will provide free lockage for boaters who want to use the locks for one last time in the 2020 season. In addition, pedestrians have access to locks located in DePere, Little Chute, Menasha and Appleton locks. For location maps, please visit www.foxlocks.org.
“The most beautiful views of the foliage are right from the Fox River,” said Jeremy Cords, CEO of the Fox River Navigational System Authority (FRNSA). “We want boaters and pedestrians to see the breathtaking scenery from the locks, so we’ll waive fees for this weekend to encourage more people to use the locks.”
Boat traffic through the lock system on the lower Fox River is up over past years, an indication that regional residents are choosing recreational activities closer to home during this time of pandemic. In June of 2020, a total of 1,250 motorized and non-motorized crafts passed through the lock system carrying 5,055 passengers. This is more than twice the number of boats through the locks than at the same time in 2019.
Navigation on the full system ended September 20. The lock system on the Fox River is one of the only fully restored, hand-operated lock systems in the nation and all locks are on the National Register of Historic Places. Just as they did when the locks were built in the 1850s, lock tenders open and close the giant gates and valves by hand.
Blog – Fox Locks
http://foxlocks.org/2020/09/22/fox-locks-open-for-free-fall-colors-weekend/