America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association (AGLCA), New York

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 ...

group created in 1999 that prepares boaters for the voyage

21 things in this story

Erie CanalSightCompleted in 1825, the canal was the first navigable waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the upper Great Lakes…
Great LoopTrailyear-long, nearly 6,000-mile journey through eastern U.S. and Canada
America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association (AGLCA)Placegroup created in 1999 that prepares boaters for the voyage
Light and SaltyPlaceThe Bowlins' yacht
Triangle LoopPlace700-mile jaunt from northeast U.S. into Canada
Hudson RiverPlaceEmbark point for the Triangle Loop
Elsewhere
Tennessee RiverAquariumChattanooga, United StatesFlowing through the Tennessee Valley in the states of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, it begins at the…
Mississippi RiverPlaceNew Orleans, United StatesIt is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri.
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
Illinois RiverPlaceChicago, United Statesaffected by invasive species
Asian carpPlaceChicago, United Statesinvasive species threatening the Great Lakes
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

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America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association (AGLCA)

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The Great Loop is the epic U.S. adventure you’ve never heard of