National GeographicMay 14, 2021
The Great Loop is the epic U.S. adventure you’ve never heard of
This nautical journey charts a 6,000-mile course from the Great Lakes to the Florida Keys (and back). The Great Loop takes boaters up the Atlantic seaboard, through historic canals, across the Great ...
21 things in this story
- Tennessee RiverAquariumChattanooga, United StatesFlowing through the Tennessee Valley in the states of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, it begins at the…
- Erie CanalSightNew York, United StatesCompleted in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the upper Great Lakes…
- Mississippi RiverPlaceNew Orleans, United StatesIt is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri.
- Great LoopTrailNew York, United Statesyear-long, nearly 6,000-mile journey through eastern U.S. and Canada
- America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association (AGLCA)PlaceNew York, United Statesgroup created in 1999 that prepares boaters for the voyage
- Gulf of MexicoSightNew Orleans, United Statescrossing adds adrenaline to the route
- GazellePlaceChicago, United StatesKen Ransom's 30-foot white-oak sailboat
- Sanibel IslandSightFort Myers, United StatesRansom and crew got lost in its mangrove forest
- Tennessee Tombigbee WaterwayPlaceDemopolis, United States234-mile passage connecting Tennessee and Tombigbee rivers
- Light and SaltyPlaceNew York, United StatesThe Bowlins' yacht
- Illinois RiverPlaceChicago, United Statesaffected by invasive species
- Asian carpPlaceChicago, United Statesinvasive species threatening the Great Lakes
- Triangle LoopPlaceNew York, United States700-mile jaunt from northeast U.S. into Canada
- Hudson RiverPlaceNew York, United StatesEmbark point for the Triangle Loop
- Lake ChamplainMuseumBurlington, United Statesmountain-fringed lake on the Triangle Loop
- Thousand IslandsSightKingston, Canadameander past them on the Triangle Loop
- Oswego CanalPlaceSyracuse, United StatesOpened in 1828, it is 23.7 miles (38.1 km) in length, and connects the Erie Canal at Three Rivers to Lake Ontario at…
- Florida LoopPlaceStuart, United Statestwo-week voyage exploring lower third of Florida
- Lake OkeechobeeSightOkeechobee, United Statesbiodiverse lake on the Florida Loop
- Canadian Heritage CanalsPlaceOttawa, Canada
- Richelieu CanalPlaceMontreal, Canada