America's Great Loop
and beyond
When it comes to boats & boating, for sure the
very far to find his old side-kick Murphy.

For sure, some of the most pleasant and wonderful
experiences of our lives, came about because we
took care to cross our 'tees' and dot our 'eyes'.  
So, now that we have given you some of the glitz,
glimmer and encouragement, it's time you learn
about some of the details.
    1. Illinois River  
    Your Great Loop distance on this river is 334 miles.
    This baby is the one we all have to thank for the connection between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River.  
    The Illinois river's close proximity to the Chicago River and the man-made Chicago Ship Canal is why we have a
    Great Loop and not a "Great U-turn". From Lake Michigan, this leg of your Great Loop journey is 334 statue miles
    from Chicago to the Mississippi River at Grafton, IL.

    2. The Mississippi River
    From Grafton to the Gulf of Mexico the distance is 1, 172 statue miles.
    If you take the Tenn-Tom route, your Great Loop distance on this river is only 218 miles.
    Did you know that the Mississippi River is rated in the top 10 of "dream cruises in the world".  That's right, it
    comes in right next to cruising the Caribbean.  So, from Mark Twain's home town of Hannibal, to Elvis Presley's
    Memphis, you can see the River that made Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, and many a Riverboat & Riverboat Gambler
    famous.

    3. Ohio River
    Your Great Loop distance on this river is only 46 miles.
    From Cairo, IL this baby takes you 46 miles to the Tennessee River at Paducah, KY, then to the Cumberland
    River, another 58 miles, an on to Evansville, IN, Owensboro, KY, Louisville, KY, and all the way to Cincinnati, OH
    (509 miles).

    4. Cumberland River
    Your Great Loop distance on the Cumberland River is
    Navigable year round, the Lower Cumberland winds 192 miles from Nashville to Smithland at the Ohio River. It
    flows through ridges and valleys and is an absolutely beautiful cruise.  All total, the Cumberland River is 688 miles
    long, and starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains. It flows
    through southern Kentucky, and crosses into northern Tennessee.  Celina, Tennessee is the beginning (and
    ending) of navigation for commercial vessels (and us as well).

    5. Tennessee River
    Your Great Loop distance on this river is 215 miles
    It is 207 miles from the Ohio River to Pickwick Landing Lock and Dam. 8 miles further is the entrance of the Tenn-
    Tom waterway. The Tennessee is a wonderful extension to your Great Loop route.  As boaters, anglers, and
    sightseers, we love to travel the full navigable length of the Tennessee River from Paducah to Knoxville which is
    648 miles of fantastic fishing and scenery.

    6. Tennessee-Tombigbee
    Your Great Loop distance on this waterway from the Tennessee to the Gulf is 234 miles.
    The Tennessee - Tombigbee Waterway is one of the most incredible components of America's Great Loop. This
    world class transportation waterway is not only part of the Great Loop, it can also link you to the Sunbelt states
    and 14 different river systems that could add another 4,000 miles (or so) to your existing 6,000 mile Great Loop
    voyage. (What a side trip that would be.)

    7. Lake Okeechobee Waterway
    Your Great Loop route across this waterway is 154 miles.
    Here it is. . . A  series of 5 locks helps boats through the 154 mile long waterway across the lower peninsula of
    Florida.  The canal depth of the waterway is approx. 8 feet, and the width of the canal varies from 80 to 100 feet.  
    Many cruisers access the waterway from the ICW through Ft Myers, shortening their trip to the east coast of
    Florida and bypassing the Florida Keys.

    8. Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway
    Officially, your Great Loop distance on the Atlantic ICW is 987 miles to Norfolk, VA.
    From Norfolk, it is another 279 miles to the Hudson for a total of 1,266 miles.
    From Florida's east coast at St. Lucie and the Lake Okeechobee Waterway, heading north, the ICW will take you
    through the Dismal Swamp, and lead you on up to the Chesapeake Bay, the C& D Canal, and the Delaware
    River. From there, it is across New York Harbor for a visit with Lady Liberty, and then it's 134 miles up the Hudson
    River to the Erie Canal. It is all total, a 1,400 statute mile incredible adventure that is safe, and easy to do.

    9. The Hudson River
    Your Great Loop voyage up the Hudson is 134 miles.

    10. New York State Canal System
    Your Great Loop distance on the Erie Canal is 338 miles.
    The NYS canals, include the Erie Canal, the Oswego Canal, the Champlain Canal, and the
    Cayuga-Seneca Canal.  The Erie Canal stretches 338 miles from Waterford, NY on the Hudson River to Lake
    Erie near Buffalo. The entire NYS Canal System is marked with mileage, depth, height restrictions, and speed
    limits. Folks, you don't need to buy any expensive "charts" for this part of your voyage. Once in the canal, you
    couldn't get lost if you tried to.  

    11 The Canadian Heritage Canals
    Your (optional) Great Loop distance along Canada's Heritage Canal is


    12. The Great Lakes
    Your Great Loop distance across the Great Lakes is

    14. The Missouri River
    The Missouri River is strictly an optional Great Loop side trip.
    This is the river of Lewis & Clark, and makes for a fantastic and adventurous side trip. It flows more than 2,300
    miles from Three Forks, Montana, to St. Louis, MO where it joins the Mississippi River. Of course, these waters
    continue on for another 1,500 miles to the Gulf of Mexico, making the Missouri/Mississippi River complex the
    fourth longest river and the third largest in the entire world.  Nicknamed the "Big Muddy," the Missouri River is
    saturated in American history.

    15. Alabama River - Coming Soon !
    The Alabama River is strictly an optional Great Loop side trip.
    Thanks to the Army Corps of Engineers dam projects constructed in the 60s and 70s to facilitate navigation. Of
    the Alabama's 315 mainstream river miles, 233 are impounded by these Corps Dams. These impoundments are
    formed by the Robert F. Henry, Millers Ferry and Claiborne lock and dams.  The Alabama River flows through or
    borders 9 Alabama counties. At the southernmost tip of Clarke county the river joins the Tombigbee to form the
    Mobile River.

    16. Arkansas River - Coming Soon !
    This Arkansas River is strictly an optional Great Loop side trip.
    The Great LoopThis south central located waterway is operational year-round, regardless of weather conditions.  
    It enters the Mississippi at Montgomery Point between Rosedale, Mississippi and Arkansas City, Arkansas, and
    is navigable from the Mississippi River 445 miles in a northeasterly direction to the Port of Catoosa near Tulsa,
    Oklahoma.
In this portion of our website, we will try to help you turn those details into "smooth sailing". It is
our goal that by the time you have finished you should be well on your way to planing your cruise
around the Great Loop.

The next few pages covers over 12,000 miles of waterway, provides over 100 useful  links, and
(we believe) put a lot of favorable winds in your sails.
WOW!
So much water,
so little time.
Click on the River links below to visit the pages.
If the page has another page a "Next" button will take you to it.
© 1993 - 2012 CaptainJohn.org
Capt John's America's Great Loop