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 ...
two-week voyage exploring lower third of Florida
21 things in this story
- Florida LoopPlacetwo-week voyage exploring lower third of Florida
- Elsewhere
- 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…
- Lake OkeechobeeSightOkeechobee, United Statesbiodiverse lake on the Florida Loop
- Canadian Heritage CanalsPlaceOttawa, Canada
- Richelieu CanalPlaceMontreal, Canada