The Great Loop — The Waterway That Encircles the Eastern United States

The Great Loop is a continuous waterway that encompasses parts of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, the Great Lakes, inland rivers, and the Canadian Heritage Canals to make a loop around the Eastern United States.

You may not have known about this travel loop that is all water and cuts through the middle of the United States. Very few undertake this massive journey, but a recreational boater who does take on the Great Loop and makes it the whole way gets to be called a “Looper.”

The Great Loop is, on average, about 6,000 miles (9,656 km) in length, and depending on the route, the minimum length is about 5,250 miles (8,449 km). The journey usually takes boaters about a year to complete, though some have finished it in a couple of months. The record time was about six weeks. However, most boaters aren’t there to see how fast they can complete it but to enjoy seeing what the loop holds and making it all the way around.

Only about 200 boaters become “loopers” each year, and the water journey is probably less known than the American Discovery Trail that goes on land from coast to coast across the entire country. Retirees are usually the ones completing the loop, but a growing number of families are completing it as well.