 The byway is intended to showcase the history of the waterway, from Native American times through the creation of the Erie Canal and the role the waterside communities played in the Industrial Revolution and the westward expansion of the United States.At its east end, the byway connects to the Lakes to Locks Passage, an All-American Road.The Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway extends for  from downtown Schenectady to the village of Waterford by way of a series of highways running alongside the Mohawk River.