Most of the canal corridor is accessible on foot and by cycle using well-surfaced towpaths including the Sankey Valley Trail (St Helens to Sankey Bridges) and the Trans Pennine Trail (Sankey Bridges to Widnes). There is easy access to other routes through towns along the way, including heritage trails in St Helens Heritage Hub

There is FREE car parking along the route. The main locations are:

• • Carr Mill Dam, St Helens WA11 7LZ
  • Sankey Valley Park, Blackbrook WA11 0AB
  • Bradley Road, Newton Le Willows WA12 8RA
  • The Maltings Inn, Bewsey WA5 9PB
  • Ferry Tavern, Penketh WA5 2UJ
  • Spike Island Marina, Widnes WA8 0DG

Bus routes criss-cross the Sankey Valley and link up with railway stations; see Merseytravel Liverpool City Region and Warrington’s Own Buses for details. The closest stations to the canal are St Helens Central and Earlestown, which is one of two triangular railway stations in the UK and an historic site on the 1830 Liverpool – Manchester line. The first viaduct of the railway age passes over the canal at Newton le Willows carrying the first passenger train line.

Not all of the canal is in water but most of the route can be identified and there are interesting features and structures to look out for along the way.