I was underwhelmed by the Erie Canal Towpath. It was 2019, so maybe it is improved. The locks were great, but the signage was poor/non existent. It was July when I did it and hot. The path is on the north side of the canal and thus gets the sun all day long. There was a dearth of services, especially in the eastern half. The GAP-C&O is orders of magnitude better in those departments.
YMMV