A Sail Tale

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North America

America's Great Loop

A 6,000-mile circuit of eastern North America, linking the Atlantic coast, Great Lakes, Canadian canals, inland rivers and the Gulf of Mexico.

77 episodes on the chart

Length
about 6,000 statute miles (AGLCA)
Typical duration
about one year; faster or slower is common (fastest reported times under three weeks, unofficial)
Locks
100+
Air draft limit
19 ft 1 in fixed bridge south of Chicago (mast-down or powerboat route)
Direction and start
Usually counter-clockwise; any start, Chicago is the common reference point
Seasons
Summer Great Lakes/Canada, autumn rivers, winter Gulf/Florida, spring Atlantic ICW

The Great Loop is a continuous circumnavigation of eastern North America by water. It strings together the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, Chesapeake Bay, the Hudson River and New York canals, Ontario's Trent-Severn Waterway, Georgian Bay and the Great Lakes, the Illinois and Mississippi/Ohio rivers, the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, and the Gulf Coast back to Florida.

Most boaters ('Loopers') go counter-clockwise from Chicago or Florida and take about a year, following the seasons: Gulf and Florida in winter, the ICW and Chesapeake in spring, Canada and the Great Lakes in summer, and the rivers in autumn. The route has no official start, and boats range from trawlers to sailboats that un-step the mast. Completers switch from a white to a gold burgee, and AGLCA supports the community.

The Loop is hard in a practical way rather than a wild one. You need about 19 ft 1 in of air draft for the fixed bridge near Chicago, you share rivers with commercial tows, and you have to plan around the Gulf crossing, Great Lakes weather, lock closures and high-water events.

Highlights

  • Chicago skyline and lock
  • Trent-Severn and Georgian Bay's 30,000 Islands
  • Hudson River and Erie Canal
  • Tennessee-Tombigbee and Mobile Bay
  • Florida Gulf Coast and Okeechobee Waterway

Watch out for

  • 19 ft 1 in fixed bridge near Chicago
  • Commercial tows, current and debris on the Mississippi and Illinois rivers
  • Gulf of Mexico crossing needs a good weather window
  • Hurricane season and late-autumn Great Lakes storms

Episodes on this route 77

Crews on this route

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A summary for learning and dreaming, not for navigation. Rules, fees, seasons and security advice change: check current official sources before you go.

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