Embarking on America’s Great Loop is an extraordinary journey that offers a unique and adventurous way to experience the diverse landscapes and waterways of the eastern United States. It is a route full of excitement, history, and camaraderie. The Great Loop is a continuous waterway route that spans approximately 6,000 miles, circumnavigating the eastern half of North America. It takes you through the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, across the Great Lakes, down the inland rivers, and along the Gulf Coast.
Route Options and Choices
The Great Loop offers boaters a variety of options, allowing them to personalize their route based on their preferences. Numerous route options are available depending on their timeframe, budget, and, to some extent, their boat.
How Long Do You Have?
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Many Loopers typically plan to spend about a year completing their Loop adventure. However, a year may not be sufficient to fully explore all that the Loop has to offer. It’s important to research the route options in advance and have a general plan for which of the many routes you wish to take.
We did our first loop in a year (cut short by the pandemic) and then did another three months once things opened back up. Our second Loop lasted about 11 months, which we felt was too fast. Issues with the lock closures on the Illinois River messed with many Loopers’ schedules.
Start Anywhere!
While boaters start their Loop all along the route, Norfolk, Virginia, is Mile “0” of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway and is considered the unofficial starting point of the Great Loop. We began our first Loop near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and our second near St. Augustine, Florida. For this article, we’ll start in Norfolk.
Norfolk, Virginia & The Chesapeake Bay
Norfolk serves as the gateway to the Chesapeake Bay, offering many stops along the way. We suggest taking a side trip up the scenic Potomac River to visit Washington, D.C. You could easily spend an entire season exploring the Chesapeake. Despite having visited three times already, we still haven’t seen it all! As you depart the Chesapeake, you’ll pass through the C&D Canal into Delaware Bay, where you can make a stop at the charming town of Cape May, New Jersey.
New Jersey, New York City, & The Hudson River
While there is an inside route along most New Jersey, most Loopers venture offshore into the Atlantic when headed to New York City. An overnight stay in Atlantic City breaks up the trip and will let you gamble, or take a stroll down the famous Boardwalk.
In New York City, you will cruise past the Statue Of Liberty (be sure to buddy boat to get your photo in front of the statue) and join the Hudson River to head north toward Canada. The Hudson River is one of our favorite parts of the Great Loop, and it is full of quaint towns and lots of history. You pass Sing-Sing Prison (no stopping for hitch-swimmers), The West Point Military Academy, the Culinary Institute of America, and the capital of New York, Albany, on your way to Waterford, New York, and the split, where your next options are presented.
Erie Canal or Champlain Canal
Here, your options are whether you will continue up the Hudson River into the Champlain Canal, which follows the border between New York and Vermont, bringing you into Lake Champlain. A visit to Burlington, Vermont, is recommended before you cross into Canada and the Canadian canals that lead to the St. Lawrence Seaway, 50 miles north of Montreal. If a visit to Quebec City, Montreal, or Ottawa and the Rideau Canal are part of your plans, this is an alternative to consider.
Erie Canal & Oswego Canal Routes
The most popular route from Waterford is along the historic Erie Canal with its many locks, small towns, and scenic views. The Erie Canal is split into the Eastern and Western parts. The split occurs where the Oswego Canal heads north toward Lake Ontario while the Western Erie continues toward Buffalo, NY.
The Western Erie keeps you mainly in the US through more charming small towns and beautiful rural landscapes of New York, eventually connecting to the Great Lakes near Buffalo, NY. During the pandemic, when Canada was closed to visitors, many more loopers took the Western Erie route to stay in the US on their trip.
However, the most popular route is to turn north on the Oswego Canal and into Lake Ontario. Lake Ontario is the gateway to Canada, and there are many optional side trips and loops.
Canada, The 1000 Islands, & St. Lawrence Seaway
Just across the lake from Oswego, NY, is Kingston, Ontario, a city with a rich history. Kingston marks the southern end of the Rideau Canal and is also the starting point of the St. Lawrence Seaway. This seaway passes through the 1000-Islands area, with notable stops including Clayton, home to the popular Wooden Boat Museum, and Alexandria Bay, known for Boldt and Singer Castles. Continuing north (downstream), you will reach the Ottawa River, which marks the other end of the Rideau Canal, as well as Montreal, the northern end of the Champlain Canal route, and Quebec City.
You can easily travel to Toronto from Kingston to see more of Canada. Toronto also has a large international airport if you need to return home to feed the cat.
Trent-Severn Waterway, Georgian Bay & The North Channel
The most popular route from Lake Ontario is by the Trent-Severn Waterway, known for its famous lift lock at Peterborough, and the Marine Railway, where your boat is lifted out of the water, up and over a road before being deposited back on the other side.
When exiting the Trent-Severn Waterway, you will enter Georgian Bay. Georgian Bay is an anchoring paradise with hundreds of popular anchorages between quaint small towns that dot the shore. After exploring Georgian Bay, you will pass Killarney, Ontario, with the historic Killarney Mountain Lodge. Be sure to stop here and see the giant canoe paddle!
Killarney is the transition from Georgian Bay to the North Channel. North Channel is one of the more remote and undeveloped areas of the Loop, with few towns but many stunning anchoring opportunities.
As you leave the North Channel and head back toward the United States, a side-trip option takes you to Sault-Ste-Marie and into Lake Superior through the famous Soo Locks.
Lake Michigan
Crossing back into the US, you will briefly touch Lake Huron before reaching one of the penultimate stops on the Loop: Mackinac Island at the tip of Lake Michigan.
As you enter Lake Michigan, you will have another major choice. Some Loopers choose to move south on the Michigan Side to Chicago. Others prefer to explore the Wisconsin Side and the famous Door County along Green Bay on the way to Chicago.
On our first loop, we chose the Michigan side. For our second loop, we took a high-breed route, coming down the Michigan side partway, cutting across the lake to Door County, Wisconsin, at Sturgeon Bay, and then down the Wisconsin side to Chicago.
Chicago & The Rivers
Either way, all roads lead to Chicago! When you’ve had your fill of Chicago Dogs and Deep Dish Pizza, you can leave Chicago by taking the stunning Chicago River route, where skyscrapers surround you. Or, you can go just down the lake to Hammond, Indiana (and the popular Horseshoe Casino Marina), where you can take the Calumet River and avoid some of the bridge and traffic issues downtown.
Either way, both routes meet at the sexily named “Chicago Shipping and Sanitary Canal,” which will take you to the Illinois River and its infamous locks and ultimately to Grafton, Illinois, where the Great Loop Route meets the Mighty Mississippi.
Everyone goes down part of the Mississippi River past the Arch in St. Louis to the junction of the Ohio River. Most Loopers choose to turn and go up the Ohio River a short way to Paducah, Kentucky, where you cut across into Kentucky Lakes and the Tenn-Tom Waterway. This provides a more scenic and tranquil path, with lots of anchorages and marinas to choose from. Once on the Tenn-Tom, you will follow it south to the Gulf of Mexico in Mobile, Alabama.
More adventurous souls and those making a fast track to Texas continue past the Ohio River and go down the Lower Mississippi River, living out their inner Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. While this route does offer the option to stop in Memphis, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans, it is often not recommended due to heavy commercial traffic and a complete lack of marinas and fuel stops for pleasure craft.
If you want to visit New Orleans with your boat, as we did on our second loop, we suggest taking the Tenn-Tom to Mobile, Alabama, then taking a right on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. New Orleans is just a two-day cruise with great stops like Bulioxi and Gulfport along the way.
The Gulf Coast To Fort Myers, FL
Following the Gulf Coast of Florida through Pensacola, you will again be provided with options. You can cut across the Gulf of Mexico directly from Carabelle to the famous Sponge Docks of Tarpon Springs or take a slower two or three-hop route around the Big Bend, visiting Steinhatchee and Cedar Key before reaching Tarpon Springs and Clearwater.
When you reach Fort Myers, Florida, another option presents itself. Do you navigate around the stunning Florida Keys for a taste of tropical beauty or take the more direct route through the Okeechobee Waterway, which cuts across the state and offers an entirely different perspective of Florida’s inland charm.
Atlantic ICW Back To Norfolk
Regardless of whether you go around the Keys or through Lake Okeechobee, you will end up near Stuart, Florida, on the Atlantic ICW.
From Stuart, you’ll go through Fort Pierce, Vero Beach, Daytona, Palm Coast (our home port), and St Augustine, the oldest city in America and definitely worth visiting.
As you continue up the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway toward the Chesapeake Bay, you can stick to the inland ICW route or hop out into the ocean to make up some time and miss the curvy shallow creeks of Georgia and South Carolina.
After passing through Charleston, South Carolina, you will continue on the ICW to Winyah Bay and Georgetown, SC. This is the Waccamaw River, and many say it is one of the most beautiful sections of the Loop. Georgetown is a great stop with several marina options and a great little historic downtown. About 20 miles farther north is Wacca Wachee Marina, our old home port.
When you reach the Albemarle Sound in North Carolina, you can choose to take a short detour and explore the Albermarle Loop before taking either the Dismal Swamp Canal or the ICW to Norfolk, Virginia, and back to Mile “0” of the ICW.
Choosing the Right Vessel
Selecting the appropriate boat for this adventure is important, as the Great Loop presents unique challenges. A boat with a draft of under five feet and an air height of nineteen feet or less is ideal, as it can navigate under the 19-foot railroad bridge in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal and has a shallow enough draft to make it through the skinny parts of Georgia and South Carolina. The choices generally fall between trawlers, motor yachts, or sailboats with a lowered mast, each offering varying levels of comfort and efficiency.
Timing the Journey
The duration to complete the Great Loop varies greatly among boaters. I believe the current record is 19 days, 19 hours, and 50 minutes as part of a quest to raise funds for cancer research. We know of Loopers who have been on the Loop for over five years and still haven’t made it around once! The general average is about 12 to 18 months. Many “loopers,” as they are affectionately known, prefer a leisurely pace, aligning their travel with favorable seasons and weather conditions. It’s a chance to savor the rich history, culture, and natural beauty encountered along the way.
Support from the AGLCA
Embarking on this journey can be daunting, but luckily, there’s the America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association (AGLCA) to lend a helping hand. The AGLCA provides extensive support to those taking on the loop, from advocacy to training seminars and online resources. Their community is invaluable, offering advice, shared experiences, and camaraderie. Joining the AGLCA enriches the loop experience by providing connections with fellow loopers and access to an extensive knowledge base, making it a highly recommended step for anyone undertaking this journey.
Exploring Other Loop Options
While America’s Great Loop is a captivating adventure, there are other intriguing loop options to explore once your nautical appetite is whetted. The Down East Loop, for instance, offers an excursion from New York through the Canadian Maritimes, down New England, and back, providing different sights and challenges. The Triangle Loop is another variation, offering a shorter journey that integrates parts of the Erie Canal, the Richelieu River to Lake Champlain, and then back via the Hudson River.
America’s Great Loop is not just a journey of waterways but also a voyage of discovering diverse cultures, breathtaking environments, and personal reflections. Whether you seek adventure or tranquility, this expedition delivers it all. Embark on the adventure that calls to you, make cherished memories, and find yourself amongst a community of passionate and supportive fellow travelers.
Looking for more great Destinations? Check out our Map!
Where are you in your Great Loop Journey (dreaming, planning, in progress, completed)?
Let us know in the comments below! 
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YankeetownCampground.com