Great Canadian Loop

[Gary Brickell]

Ready to cruise on the ultimate Canadian voyage?

I’m inviting you to join a dedicated community of boat cruisers exploring our magnificent 3,000km Great Canadian Loop of freshwater lakes, historic canals, and hidden river gems. Whether you’re weaving through vibrant city ports or docking at a quiet small-town waterfront, your story belongs here.

Our group of adventurers range from Cuddy Cabins to Yachts of all sizes, ages and makes. We are buddy boats who support and encourage each other as we explore some of the finest cruising waters in the world.

We maintain a strictly positive, politics-free zone focused entirely on the joy of the Canadian Boating Adventure.

Join the journey here: Log into Facebook

— Commodore Gary

 

[fgutierrez10]

I don't have a Facebook account -- how can I get information on the Great Canadian Loop?

 

[Gary Brickell]

currently the only channel is through Facebook

 

[Frosty]

I don't have facebook either. So I couldn't join the group. But still very curious what is "The Great Canadian Loop" route. I did an Internet search for "Great Canadian Loop" but it only led back to this thread.

Edited to add: Okay, I see it now, sorry. From the logo of your facebook group -- looks like the route is in purple.

So starting say at Kingston, Ontario (arbitrarily chosen start point):

1) Up the St. Lawrence River (which is downbound, current-wise)
2) West on the Ottawa River to The Rideau Canal
3) South through The Rideau Canal
4) Northwest through The Trent-Severn Waterway
5) West across the north shore of Georgian Bay
6) West through The North Channel
7) Up the St. Mary's River (or alternate path) to Sault Ste. Marie
8) Back down the St. Mary's River (or alternate path)
9) East and south along the north and east shores of Lake Huron proper
10) South through the St. Clair River,
11) East across the North Shore of Lake Erie
12) Through the Welland Canal (note that upbound says it requires 3 crewmembers; downbound only 2 - this way would be downbound)
13) East across the north shore of Lake Ontario back to Kingston, Ontario

Pardon me if I made any mistakes on the route.

 

[Bacchus]

We have cruised a good deal of this loop and can echo our feeling that this area is a real gem for cruisers. Lots of clean clear fresh water cruising with a variety of interesting stops no matter what your interests are... from urban marinas to secluded anchorages and spectacular scenery you can find it along the way.

 

[Gary Brickell]

I don't have facebook either. So I couldn't join the group. But still very curious what is "The Great Canadian Loop" route. I did an Internet search for "Great Canadian Loop" but it only led back to this thread.

Edited to add: Okay, I see it now, sorry. From the logo of your facebook group -- looks like the route is in purple.

So starting say at Kingston, Ontario (arbitrarily chosen start point):

1) Up the St. Lawrence River (which is downbound, current-wise)
2) West on the Ottawa River to The Rideau Canal
3) South through The Rideau Canal
4) Northwest through The Trent-Severn Waterway
5) West across the north shore of Georgian Bay
6) West through The North Channel
7) Up the St. Mary's River (or alternate path) to Sault Ste. Marie
8) Back down the St. Mary's River (or alternate path)
9) East and south along the north and east shores of Lake Huron proper
10) South through the St. Clair River,
11) East across the North Shore of Lake Erie
12) Through the Welland Canal (note that upbound says it requires 3 crewmembers; downbound only 2 - this way would be downbound)
13) East across the north shore of Lake Ontario back to Kingston, Ontario

Pardon me if I made any mistakes on the route.


View attachment 171846

Yes your route is correct, but incomplete. The eastern section needs to be added: to Montreal then up the Ottawa river to Ottawa. Then westward to Kingston via the Rideau Canal. The whole summer trip takes 60-90 days to complete.

 

[HeadedToTexas]

Kind of like America's Great Loop, I've seen that for years without knowing it was a thing. Great to see like minds have already been at work on developing the route and resources. Heading to Facebook to join now!

 

[Frosty]

Kind of like America's Great Loop, I've seen that for years without knowing it was a thing. Great to see like minds have already been at work on developing the route and resources. Heading to Facebook to join now!

I remember it being called something like the Great Circle Route. That was before a company made it their thing and individuals just did it; now it has a new name. But of course one can still do the route without joining the company (AGLCA).

On this route, I am interested to hear what those three long sections on the NE side of lakes Huron, Erie, and Ontario are like. They look a little exposed? (Actually I did cruise up that shore of Lake Huron once decades ago, but we were on a large sailboat so didn't think of "exposed" in the same way, hence I didn't really look at it like I would now.)

I imagine someone here has cruised them.

 

[HeadedToTexas]

We are in western Lake Erie, so already close to the Great Canadian Loop! I have crossed our end of Lake Erie and all of Lakes Huron and Michigan. No different than any other big crossing in that you have to wait for an acceptable window or endure the consequences. We choose to wait.

 

[Jeff F]

On this route, I am interested to hear what those three long sections on the NE side of lakes Huron, Erie, and Ontario are like. They look a little exposed? (Actually I did cruise up that shore of Lake Huron once decades ago, but we were on a large sailboat so didn't think of "exposed" in the same way, hence I didn't really look at it like I would now.)

I imagine someone here has cruised them.

I've cruised the entire route, following the Canadian shore through lakes Huron, Erie and Ontario. It's all open water travel between small ports, so weather is more of a consideration as you make daily hops along the coast.

I have a strong preference for the northern route through the Trent Severn, Georgian Bay and the North Channel. Have done that route numerous times, and each time find lots to appreciate.

 

[Frosty]

I've cruised the entire route, following the Canadian shore through lakes Huron, Erie and Ontario. It's all open water travel between small ports, so weather is more of a consideration as you make daily hops along the coast.

That's kind of what I was thinking, but then I haven't done those two coasts of Erie or Ontario, so didn't want to say anything definitive. Thanks for sharing your experience.

I have a strong preference for the northern route through the Trent Severn, Georgian Bay and the North Channel. Have done that route numerous times, and each time find lots to appreciate.

I agree that I would dispense with the "loopiness" of it and instead double back through The North Channel, Georgian Bay, and the TSW. I can't see ever getting tired of those. Plus you could do, say, the north shore of those on the way up and the south shore of them on the way back.. So still kind of loopy.

I might also incorporate the Triangle loop on the easternmost section instead of the one leg on the St. Lawrence (but I get that they want it to be a purely Canadian loop vs. a North American loop, so the Triangle Loop by definition couldn't be included).

I think if I were going to spend time on an open water section, I would do that in Lake Superior where there isn't really a more sheltered/intricate alternative. But then again if you looped Lake Superior you would have to include the USA, so that's probably at least one reason it's not on this particular "loop."

 

[Bacchus]

On Georgian Bay you have 2 (or more) route choices. The Inland Small Craft Route winds around the islands close to the NE mainland or you can run open water routes. The former takes longer but includes some great scenery and anchorages. Open water obviously faster if that's your interest & priority. My feeling is why go to GB if you are only running Open water and trying to make goid time. It's the journey not the destination IMO

 

[ronbo404]

May I ask what are the height restrictions of the Great Canadian loop?

Thanks
Ron

 

[Frosty]

May I ask what are the height restrictions of the Great Canadian loop?

Thanks
Ron

I'm not the Canadian Loop guy who started the thread, but off the top of my head I would think the Rideau Canal might be the most restrictive, both in water and air draft.

Okay, nope, it's a mix: The Trent Severn looks like it has a 20' clearance bridge; whereas the Rideau Canal has a 22-footer so it's less restrictive on air draft.

On the other hand, for the TS it looks like they say 6' of water is the minimum, whereas the RC says there is a (sort of) guaranteed 4' depth of water, but a 5' maximum draft even at the best of times. I believe this has to do partially with the sills of the locks (though late in the season I saw some really skinny water (like 3.x') in a bouyed channel leading into one of the lock areas that was still in a lake (not in the lock proper).

More here:

Technical data

This link provides a quick navigation fact sheet

parks.canada.ca

Technical data

This link provides a quick navigation fact sheet

parks.canada.ca

I'm trying to think if there is anyplace else that has low clearance, air-draft wise. I think the bridge in Kingston, ON is now being completely moved out of the way for boats to pass (that could change). Or there is a fixed bridge that I can't exactly remember but I think it's 12-16' (but this is the same place where the other bridge can be moved completely out of the way).

If I think of any other place with low clearance I'll come back and add it. Or maybe someone else will post, such as the OP who has created this loop.

 

[Frosty]

Yes your route is correct, but incomplete. The eastern section needs to be added: to Montreal then up the Ottawa river to Ottawa. Then westward to Kingston via the Rideau Canal. The whole summer trip takes 60-90 days to complete.

I thought I had those in my post #4 in this thread.

I listed the first three legs like this:

1) Up the St. Lawrence River (which is downbound, current-wise)
2) West on the Ottawa River to The Rideau Canal
3) South through The Rideau Canal

Maybe I missed naming it correctly or something?

 

[Frosty]

Open water obviously faster if that's your interest & priority. My feeling is why go to GB if you are only running Open water and trying to make goid time. It's the journey not the destination IMO

Not saying I disagree with you (I like to mosey). But the whole "Great Canadian Loop" that the OP is promoting looks like a fair bit of territory for the relatively short season. I don't mean it can't be done, but I think that goal could affect the pace. It's about 1,620 nautical miles, and with three significant legs being on exposed shores of Lakes Huron, Erie, and Ontario, you'd have to build in some potential weeks of weather delays (all told), plus the season isn't that long (more's the pity).

Maybe I'm wrong though and you could still mosey. I guess too, it depends on how you luck out with weather windows on the open-ish water legs.

 

[Bacchus]

Frosty...
Likewise no disagreement from me either. I just no longer rush to reach destinations... the cruising experience is my goal. My recommendation would be to split the cruise into 2 or more years as many do with the great loop.

 

[Frosty]

Frosty...
Likewise no disagreement from me either. I just no longer rush to reach destinations... the cruising experience is my goal. My recommendation would be to split the cruise into 2 or more years as many do with the great loop.

I hear you.

The one advantage that the Great Circle Route/(North) America's Great Loop has over this one is that you can boat on its waters all year long since half of it is in the south/east US. So no absolute need to divide it into seasons that have a gap in between when you can't be boating. Unless you want to spend multiple seasons up north (that would be us). I guess you could also do that on the Great Circle Route by doing the "1 year" loop multiple years in a row. That way you could stay on your boat all year long.

I imagine they discuss these considerations for this (Canadian) loop in their facebook group (I don't know because I'm not a facebook member).

 

[Cargile]

I did not read all the responses. Only the first few. Of interest is the loop NE of Lake Ontario. I see the straight line heading NE. I guess that is the Saint Lawrence seaway etc. What is the loop north of it? If you had a clearer map/chart, that would be great. Thanks

 

[rslifkin]

I did not read all the responses. Only the first few. Of interest is the loop NE of Lake Ontario. I see the straight line heading NE. I guess that is the Saint Lawrence seaway etc. What is the loop north of it? If you had a clearer map/chart, that would be great. Thanks

It's presumably the Rideau Canal from Kingston, Ontario to Ottawa and then the Ottawa River down to Montreal and the St. Lawrence between Montreal and Kingston.

 

[Jklotz]

Is this the same thing as the downeast loop?

 

[Frosty]

I did not read all the responses. Only the first few. Of interest is the loop NE of Lake Ontario. I see the straight line heading NE. I guess that is the Saint Lawrence seaway etc. What is the loop north of it? If you had a clearer map/chart, that would be great. Thanks

If you look at post #4, it's the first three sections. As @rslifkin notes -- and if you are starting at Kingston, ON, you would go down (NE on) the St. Lawrence River to (essentially) Montréal, westish on the Ottawa River to Ottawa, then south on The Rideau Canal until you got back to Kingston again.

 

[Frosty]

Is this the same thing as the downeast loop?

Not quite. There are two other established loops that share portions of the route with this one. However both of their routes pass through US waters, so I guess that's why they were avoided for this specifically Canadian-only loop.

The next "biggest" loop from this one is the Triangle Loop. For the Triangle Loop (and again starting in Kingston, ON), you choose either The Rideau Canal or the St. Lawrence River and then you either do The Rideau Canal to the Ottawa River to Montréal-ish OR the St. Lawrence River to Montréal-ish. From there the route converges, and you continue east on the Ottawa River, the Richelieu River, Lake Champlain, the Champlain Canal and then head west on the Erie Canal to the Oswego Canal, north across Lake Ontario back to Kingston, ON.

The Downeast Loop or Downeast Circle Route is quite a bit longer and goes through more open water. Same options from Kingston, ON to Montréal. Then you continue out the St. Lawrence River to the mouth, down the Canadian Atlantic Coast (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia) to Maine, and on down the US East Coast to New York City, then up the Hudson, and now you rejoin the Triangle Loop and go west on the Erie Canal to the Oswego Canal, north across Lake Ontario to Kingston, ON.

Of course I just chose Kingston, ON as the start point arbitrarily.

 

[Frosty]

I made a couple of quick map drawings to show the difference. Pardon their crude nature, but they should give the idea.

Keep in mind that this portion of the Canadian loop is only just the very eastern bit of what is shown on the OP's map, which I circled in red:

Purple line is the eastern section of the Canadian loop delineated by the OP.
Red line is the Triangle Loop

Representation of the Downeast loop coming next.

 

[Frosty]

Downeast Loop (Downeast Circle Route) for comparison. As you can see, parts of this are shared with both the Canadian loop and The Triangle loop. St. Lawrence River is the dashed line and is an alternative to The Rideau Canal on the Downeast Loop.

 

[Jeff F]

Thanks Frosty! My next Canadian loop is going to be a circumnavigation of Newfoundland. I've traveled the others pretty thoroughly over the last ten years. I hope more get the experience.

For those in Eastern Ontario or Quebec the St Lawrence below Montreal down to Quebec or Tadoussac and the Richelelieu River/Chanbly Canal is also interesting cruising, though not a loop.

 

[Frosty]

Thanks Frosty! My next Canadian loop is going to be a circumnavigation of Newfoundland.

That sounds neat! Your boat is just great for this sort of cruising.

For those in Eastern Ontario or Quebec the St Lawrence below Montreal down to Quebec or Tadoussac and the Richelelieu River/Chanbly Canal is also interesting cruising, though not a loop.

Good to know. I tend to (just off the top of my head) think of the St. Lawrence as not having a lot of anchoring or etc. along the shore. The section from the Chambly Canal entrance down to Tadoussac and back could be a nice side trip from the Triangle Loop (or a "side trip from an already side trip" to Québec).

So does the section between Québec and Tadoussac have good anchoring/coves/etc.? Or is it more leaps from marina to marina to get shelter?

 

[Jeff F]

So does the section between Québec and Tadoussac have good anchoring/coves/etc.? Or is it more leaps from marina to marina to get shelter?

Not really. It's mostly a busy commercial channel with lots of tidal current. I've always anchored somewhere on the river off the channel on my two trips through. Not particularly friendly, but a good challenge. Wind against current can kick up nasty waves.

Down the River

As Susan mentioned, we did a crew swap in Montreal on Thursday, and Bill and I left Thursday afternoon. Thursday night we anchored here, and on Friday we stopped in Berthierville to pick up some pa…

boatingadventures.ca

Most would turn around at Quebec. I mention Tadoussac because there are lots of whales there, and a small remote french town at the mouth of a long fiord. Quite different from parts west, and maybe worth the trip.

 

[Frosty]

Not really. It's mostly a busy commercial channel with lots of tidal current.

Most would turn around at Quebec. I mention Tadoussac because there are lots of whales there, and a small remote french town at the mouth of a long fiord. Quite different from parts west, and maybe worth the trip.

Okay, I understand now. Québec is obviously a neat little side trip off the Triangle Loop. Going on from there to Tadoussac isn't so much about the route being all full of coves to explore, but instead more about getting to the fjord/possible whales/small French town.

Thanks!

 

[Max1]

Joined