Just kidding, There’s No Set RoutE!

A common phrase among Loopers is “no two Loops are the same” and that’s not only because everyone’s experiences are different.

The Great Loop route consists of both natural and man-made waterways, and often times there are multiple ways to arrive at the same destination. And on top of that, there’s a plethora of delightful side trips Loopers can cruise, or pass by.

A Great Loop journey has no set starting point, and is concluded when you “cross your wake” at the location you began.

An average Loop is ~6,000 nautical miles, but can easily be longer or shorter depending on the route you choose to cruise.

major Waterways

In general, the Great Loop route is cruised counter-clockwise and follows the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway from Key West, Florida to Norfolk, Virginia. Loopers then boat up the Chesapeake Bay through the C&D Canal to the Delaware Bay, before following the New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway to the mouth of the Hudson River.

Heading west, Loopers follow the Hudson River to the Erie Canal before traversing Lake Ontario to the Trent-Severn Waterway in Canada. Then it’s onto the Georgian Bay and North Channel before navigating south down the length of Lake Michigan. Loopers continue south down the Illinois, Upper Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, and Tombigbee Rivers before entering the Gulf of Mexico. Hugging the west coast of Florida, Loopers travel the Florida Intracoastal Waterway to connect the Loop at Key West, FL.