The Great Loop

Waterway Guide · Eastern North America

The Great Loop is a roughly 6,000-mile circuit through the inland and coastal waterways of the eastern United States and Canada — a connected system of rivers, canals, lakes, bays, and sounds that forms a continuous loop without ever requiring an ocean passage. You can start and end anywhere on the circuit. Most loopers begin in the Great Lakes or on the East Coast, but the boat that started in Chicago finishes in Chicago, and the boat that started in Norfolk finishes in Norfolk.

The route traces the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway from Norfolk south to Florida, crosses Florida and heads west along the Gulf Coast, turns north up the Mississippi River or the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, transits the Tennessee River and heads east via the Cumberland or directly to the Ohio, reaches the Great Lakes through Lake Michigan or Lake Erie, and returns east via the Erie Canal and the Hudson River back to the Atlantic coast. Every segment of the loop is independently interesting. Completing the circuit is something more than the sum of its parts.

The Two Routes

At every major decision point on the loop, the choice is between the inside route — protected waterways, slower, more scenic — and the outside route — open water, faster, rougher. The clearest version of this choice comes early: when heading south along the East Coast, do you stay inside on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (the ICW) all the way from Norfolk to Florida, or do you duck outside into the Atlantic for the straight coastal passages?

The outside route is faster. Norfolk to Fort Lauderdale offshore is a matter of days; the ICW takes three to four weeks. Offshore passages require a seaworthy boat and a crew willing to do overnight watches in open water; the ICW can be done entirely in daylight by a solo skipper. Most loopers take the ICW south at least partially, and many never leave protected water for the entire trip — the 19'6" air draft limit means the boat is probably a trawler with limited sea-keeping performance anyway.

The equivalent choice in the Gulf is whether to take the Gulf ICW — the protected inside waterway along the Louisiana and Texas coasts — or to make the open Gulf crossing from Florida to the mouth of the Mississippi. The Gulf ICW is shallow in places (controlling depth is 12 feet, but shoaling reduces it) and the bayou country of Louisiana and the Texas coast is uniquely worth seeing. The Gulf crossing is faster and cleaner but requires an overnight or multi-day offshore passage.

Timing the Loop

Most loopers go clockwise: south down the East Coast in the fall, west along the Gulf in winter, north up the rivers in spring, through the Great Lakes and back east in summer. This puts you ahead of the cold on the way south and ahead of it again on the Great Lakes passage — but it also puts you in the Florida ICW in November and December alongside the entire fall migration of East Coast boats, a traffic density that surprises first-timers.

Counter-clockwise has its advocates: head north first, do the Erie Canal and Great Lakes in summer, come south down the rivers in fall, and spend winter in the Gulf. This tends to be less crowded and gives you the Erie Canal in its best months. The tradeoff is that you need to complete the Great Lakes passage before late October, which compresses the northern schedule.

The hard constraint that governs everything is Lake Michigan. November gales on the Great Lakes are not metaphorical — sustained gale-force winds, steep short seas, and cold that can develop quickly into serious problems for a trawler with limited stability reserves. The traditional rule: be south of the Straits of Mackinac before the first of November, with October 15 as the target date for cautious skippers. Planning backward from that constraint shapes the entire clockwise schedule.

Spring starting dates: leaving from the East Coast in April or May means arriving in the Great Lakes in late summer, which is correct for the clockwise route. Leaving in March to get an early start means fighting late-season cold on the rivers and arriving at the Erie Canal before it opens (typically mid-May). The canal and the northern rivers have seasonal windows that anchor the timing whether you plan on them or not.

The Boat: What Makes a Looper

The 19'6" air draft restriction is the single most important technical constraint on the loop. This figure comes from the fixed bridges on the Erie Canal — the lowest bridge on the New York State Canal System clearance. A sailboat with its mast up cannot complete the loop; the mast must be stepped down, which requires a boatyard at each end of the canal section. A handful of sailboats complete the loop this way every year, but the logistics add cost and complexity. Most loop boats are powerboats: trawlers, motor yachts, and cruising powerboats in the 35–55 foot range.

The ideal looper boat has good range under power (300+ miles on a tank, or auxiliary fuel bladders), fuel efficiency at displacement speed (the narrow-beam heavy trawler hull is more efficient than the wide planing hull), enough draft to handle the 9-foot controlling depth with margin, and enough freeboard to handle an overnight Gulf Coast passage in moderate conditions. Fuel consumption becomes the defining operating cost; a boat burning 3 gallons per hour at 8 knots has a very different budget than one burning 8 gallons per hour at the same speed.

Beam is a practical constraint on some of the older locks. The Erie Canal locks are 43.5 feet wide; the Tennessee-Tombigbee locks are 110 feet wide, accommodating commercial barges. Wide boats are not a problem on the rivers — they are a problem on the Erie Canal. A boat wider than 40 feet has limited water on the Erie and may need to skip that section entirely.

The AGLCA: Community and the Gold Burgee

America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association (AGLCA) is the organizing body for looper culture. Membership provides access to a GPS-trackable fleet, marina discounts, a robust online community, rallies and rendezvous at various points on the loop, and — most visibly — the distinctive blue-and-gold burgee that marks looper boats throughout the circuit. Displaying the burgee opens conversations at every fuel dock and anchorage. The looper community is unusually welcoming; experienced loopers actively help first-timers, and information flows freely.

The gold burgee is the AGLCA's recognition for completing the full loop — earning it requires documentation of having covered the entire circuit. Many loopers find that the journey changes over the months: what starts as a navigation challenge becomes a lifestyle, and the loop that was planned for one year extends to two. The AGLCA community is a significant part of why.

Budget

A realistic loop budget runs $3,000 to $6,000 per month for a couple aboard a well-maintained 40-foot trawler. The spread is wide because the variables are large: fuel prices, marina versus anchor choices, how often you eat out versus cook aboard, and whether the boat generates repair bills along the way.

Fuel is typically the largest single expense. A trawler burning 2.5 gallons per hour at 8 knots covers 100 miles on 31 gallons — at $4/gallon, that's $124 for 100 miles. At 6,000 miles, fuel alone approaches $7,500 even before marina fuel surcharges. Anchoring instead of marina docking saves $50–$100 per night and is possible for a substantial portion of the route; the Gulf Coast, the rivers, and parts of the Erie Canal offer free or very cheap anchoring. Florida and the Atlantic ICW marinas run $2–4 per foot per night.

Lock fees vary. The Erie Canal charges boats under 16 feet; larger recreational boats pay per lock. The Army Corps of Engineers locks on the rivers (Tennessee-Tombigbee, Cumberland, Ohio, Mississippi) are free. Budget for 10–15 unexpected boat repairs over a 6-month loop — the miles reveal every weakness in every system.

Timeline: What Most People Actually Do

The minimum loop — moving every or every other day, skipping most side trips — takes about 6 months. This is the loop on a schedule, and it is less satisfying than it sounds. The most common actual loop takes 9–12 months: enough time to spend a week in the Bahamas, explore the Finger Lakes off the Erie Canal, linger in the Tennessee River country, and not feel rushed.

One-to-two-year loops are common among retired couples who are treating the loop as a temporary liveaboard lifestyle rather than a passage to complete. They winter in the Gulf and Florida, summer in the Great Lakes or the Canadian North Channel, and make the full circuit in a relaxed 18 months. Many discover they prefer living aboard at anchor in the Gulf in February to returning to a winter house, and the loop becomes the context for a longer-term life change.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Great Loop route and how far does it cover? The Great Loop is a roughly 6,000-mile circuit through the inland and coastal waterways of the eastern United States and Canada — rivers, canals, lakes, bays, and sounds forming a continuous loop without requiring an ocean passage. The route traces the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway from Norfolk south to Florida, crosses to the Gulf Coast, turns north up the Mississippi River or the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, reaches the Great Lakes, and returns east via the Erie Canal and Hudson River. You can start and end anywhere on the circuit; the boat that started in Chicago finishes in Chicago.

What is the 19-foot 6-inch air draft limit and why does it exclude most sailboats? The 19'6" air draft restriction comes from the fixed bridges on the Erie Canal — the lowest bridge on the New York State Canal System clearance. A sailboat with its mast up cannot complete the loop; the mast must be stepped down at a boatyard at each end of the canal section, adding cost and logistics. Most loop boats are powerboats — trawlers and motor yachts in the 35 to 55 foot range. A handful of sailboats complete the loop annually by unstepping the mast, but the majority of the looper community is in displacement powerboats.

What is the clockwise timing strategy and what hard constraint governs the Great Lakes passage? The clockwise route heads south down the East Coast in fall, west along the Gulf in winter, north up the rivers in spring, through the Great Lakes and back east in summer. The hard constraint is Lake Michigan: November gales on the Great Lakes bring sustained gale-force winds, steep short seas, and cold that can develop quickly into serious problems for a trawler. The traditional rule is to be south of the Straits of Mackinac before November 1, with October 15 as the target for cautious skippers. Planning backward from this constraint shapes the entire clockwise schedule.

What is the realistic budget for completing the Great Loop? A realistic loop budget runs $3,000 to $6,000 per month for a couple aboard a well-maintained 40-foot trawler. Fuel is typically the largest single expense: a trawler burning 2.5 gallons per hour at 8 knots covers 100 miles on 31 gallons — at $4 per gallon that is $124 for 100 miles, totaling roughly $7,500 in fuel across 6,000 miles. Florida and Atlantic ICW marinas run $2 to $4 per foot per night; anchoring instead of marina docking saves $50 to $100 per night and is possible for a substantial portion of the route. Budget for 10 to 15 unexpected boat repairs over a 6-month loop.

What is the AGLCA and what does the gold burgee represent? America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association (AGLCA) is the organizing body for looper culture, providing GPS-trackable fleet access, marina discounts, a robust online community, rallies and rendezvous at various points on the loop, and the distinctive blue-and-gold burgee that marks looper boats throughout the circuit. The gold burgee is the AGLCA's recognition for completing the full loop — earning it requires documentation of having covered the entire circuit. Displaying the burgee opens conversations at every fuel dock and anchorage; the looper community is unusually welcoming and information flows freely.

How long does the Great Loop actually take for most loopers? The minimum loop — moving every or every other day with most side trips skipped — takes about 6 months. The most common actual loop takes 9 to 12 months: enough time to spend a week in the Bahamas, explore the Finger Lakes off the Erie Canal, linger in Tennessee River country, and not feel rushed. One-to-two-year loops are common among retired couples treating the loop as a temporary liveaboard lifestyle — they winter in the Gulf and Florida, summer in the Great Lakes or the Canadian North Channel, and complete the circuit in a relaxed 18 months. Many discover they prefer the cruising life to returning to a winter house.