Commercial traffic on the river system always has the right-of-way, and pleasure craft needs to be diligent about communicating with the tow captains and leaving them plenty of space to safely navigate. The rivers can be a hazardous place with large floating debris coupled with heavy barge and commercial traffic. With the exception of the Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland Rivers, all of the rivers flow at various speeds to the south. General Informationįrom Chicago, Illinois to Mobile, Alabama, you’ll travel roughly 1,300 miles down more than six different waterways and encounter 22 or more locks, all of which are free of charge. So, for those of you looking find your inner Jack Kerouac through the heart of America, here are some basic tips, not-to-miss stops, and insider information that will help make your journey memorable. To sum it up, the Mississippi waters will make you proud of your country and the wholesome, real people who make that leg of the journey so amazing. It makes you realize the ingenuity of the American spirit and what it must have been like for traders, trappers, loggers, Native Americans, and fisherman who traveled those waters as they built the foundation of our country. It’s where you marvel at the jaw-dropping skill of tow captains pushing 48 barges upstream in seven knots of current. Where the people say “bless your heart” and offer you sweet tea. In fact, the water is murky, the commercial traffic is dense, the marine services are sparse, and you’re probably going to run aground.ĭespite all of that, why do I believe it’s a mistake to rush through this section? Simple – it’s the heartland of America. Sure, the waters aren’t as blue and clear as they are in the Great Lakes, the beaches are non-existent compared to those in the Gulf, and the marine life is nowhere near as spectacular as it is in the Atlantic. To fully appreciate what this waterway has to offer, you have to be willing to look beyond the obvious and open your eyes and heart to the beauty around you. In doing so, they miss an opportunity to discover middle-America in a way very few people ever experience. Most of the “loopers” (individuals who set out to complete the Great Loop) I’ve met rush through the river system to get back to the Gulf of Mexico, viewing this leg of their trip as a minor inconvenience down a glorified drainage ditch. There are many publications covering this route, but not many focus on the river system from Chicago, Illinois to Mobile, Alabama. The trip takes voyagers in a counter-clockwise direction from Florida up the East Coast, through the Great Lakes, down the mighty Mississippi – through one of the largest man-made canal systems ever built – and back to the Gulf of Mexico. The Great Loop, a 6,000-mile journey circling the eastern half of the United States, is a bucket list item on nearly every cruisers to-do list. Here's what she has to say about the adventure and how to make the most of it. We got with Beth Whitley, a sailor who just made the trip. There is a lot of information about the Great Loop, but not a lot about the river system from Chicago to Mobile.
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