America’s Great Loop: Atlantic Coast Navigation Guide

The Atlantic Coast is among the most diverse navigation segments on the Great Loop. Unlike other navigational routes that are open waters only, the Atlantic Coast has the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), sounds, bays, rivers, canals, and tidal waterways. The normal route for northbound traffic is the ICW route through Florida up to Norfolk, Virginia, and onward through the Chesapeake and Delaware Bay area, New Jersey, New York, and onto the Hudson River.

Atlantic Coast Route Description

The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway has a protected passage behind the Atlantic Coast. According to NOAA's 2026 U.S. Coast Pilot, the ICW is a toll-free waterway running over 1,243 statute miles from Norfolk, Virginia, to Key West, Florida. ICW mileage starts at Mile 0 from Norfolk to about Mile 1,243.8 at Key West. There are different segments and options in the ICW that boaters cannot take for granted.

i-Boating's GPS Nautical Charts Great Loop allows for interactive planning of the route. The application features detailed nautical charts, HD bathymetric coverage for select waters, and offline chart downloading with GPS support. Such instruments may be helpful in route planning; however, official navigation information sources have to be considered first.

Florida: Atlantic Coast and Keys

Florida is a combination of tidal waterways, shallow spots, bridges and open areas. In the Florida Keys, it is critical to keep in mind charted depths, tide levels, weather conditions, and chosen route.

According to NOAA, federal ICW project dimensions are 12 feet between Norfolk and Fort Pierce, 10 feet between Fort Pierce and Miami and 7 feet from Miami to Key West. These figures refer to project dimensions, not necessarily available at all times during route navigation. Shoaling, local conditions and changes to maintained channel width influence actual depth.

Bridge clearance is also to be taken into account when planning the route. According to NOAA, minimum clearance of fixed bridges over ICW equals to 56 feet and occurs at Julia Tuttle Causeway near Miami. Nevertheless, it is still necessary to compare the charted clearance of every bridge with boat air draft.

Georgia and the Carolinas

Georgia and South Carolina have meandering channels, tidal marshes, sounds, and shoals that can impact navigation. It is very important to stay within the channel and get up-to-date information from charts for the deep-draft vessels. Tidal changes may also affect the depth of water in shoals.

North Carolina offers two main routes for ICW traveling between the area of the Chesapeake Bay and Albemarle Sound. One is a standard route that goes via the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal, and another one is an alternative route that travels through the Dismal Swamp Canal. According to NOAA, both are ICW routes.

The Great Bridge Lock is situated on the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal route. Lock dimensions, operation conditions, and navigation restrictions must be checked prior to the trip since the operational information can be changed.

The Dismal Swamp Canal route includes locks and bridges as well. If boaters choose this route, it is necessary to check up-to-date U.S. Army Corps of Engineers information before starting their trip.

Chesapeake Bay and Delaware Bay

Further north, the Great Loop passage will have bigger and less sheltered waterways. The Chesapeake Bay and the Delaware Bay can have wave action caused by winds, tidal flows, and rapidly changing weather conditions.

More than just following the charted channel will be required here. Consult weather forecasts, wind direction, visibility, tides, and currents before heading out. A boat that is comfortable navigating the protected waters of the ICW may have very different conditions to contend with while traveling the open areas of the bays.

The Coast Pilot published by NOAA is especially helpful since it provides operational information that does not fit on a nautical chart, such as channel, anchorage, bridge, current, tide, weather, traffic, and regulatory data.

New Jersey to New York

Following the Delaware Bay, the journey will be on the coast of New Jersey to New York Harbor. Navigation is getting more challenging due to commercial ships, ferry services, pleasure boats, and tides.

A proper lookout is mandatory upon approaching New York, taking into account the presence of commercial ships and navigation information and VHF communication. Maintain marked channels and follow navigation rules, especially in harbor areas.

The Great Loop passage continues on the Hudson River after exiting New York Harbor. It means the completion of the Atlantic coast section of the Great Loop and the beginning of the inland waterways section.

Charts, Tides and Bridge Planning

Success in navigating the Atlantic Coast requires current information. It is recommended that boaters should not base their navigation solely on a dated cruising guide or on one electronic navigation source.

• Check before each trip the following:
• Current electronic nautical charts
• Draft and air draft of your boat
• Charted depths and shoaling
• Predictions of tides and currents
• Clearances and openings of bridges
• Operation of locks
• Weather and visibility at sea
• Navigation warnings of the Coast Guard
• Navigation notices of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• VHF radio communication and another way to navigate

Bridge schedules and restrictions might have changed, and channels may have been impacted by dredging or other conditions. Therefore, checking current information before starting your voyage is imperative.

The Great Loop GPS Nautical Charts and i-Boating software would assist in this process by offering route visualization and other chart information.

Final Navigation Advice

The Atlantic Coast difficulty is not just the long distance itself. It includes both shallow and deep waters, tidal flow, bridges, locks, open bays, variable weather conditions, and heavy commercial traffic.

The best way to tackle the problem is to break up the Atlantic Coast into separate stretches and make plans for each of them based on the up-to-date official navigation information. Verify the route, depths, tidal flows, bridges, weather, and navigation advisories before departure instead of relying on unchanging navigation conditions throughout the whole season.

GPS Nautical Charts can be helpful for Great Loop route planning, while NOAA, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can be used for official navigation information. A combination of the above sources provides Loopers with a more reliable navigation base for the Atlantic Coast.

FAQs

1. What is the route for the Great Loop along the Atlantic Coast?

A general northbound route goes from Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina up the Atlantic ICW, then through the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays area, New Jersey, and New York via the Hudson River.

2. What is the depth of the Atlantic ICW?

Federal project depth dimensions are different, depending on the specific section: 12 feet Norfolk to Fort Pierce, 10 feet from Fort Pierce to Miami, and 7 feet from Miami to Key West. It is important to note that these dimensions cannot be taken as absolute depths since shoaling and other factors can influence navigation.

3. What charts should Great Loop boaters have?

Modern NOAA electronic charts and the U.S. Coast Pilot for the relevant region should serve as the basis of navigation planning. GPS Nautical Charts can be used for additional charting, offline access, and navigation via GPS technology.

4. Are there any locks on the Atlantic ICW?

Yes, there is a Great Bridge Lock on the route of the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal. Dismal Swamp Canal route also contains locks; thus, it is necessary to be aware of their current schedule.

5. What are the biggest navigation challenges on the Atlantic Coast?

The major challenges include changing depths, shoaling, tides, currents, bridge clearances, locks, weather and commercial traffic. Conditions vary significantly between sections, making current charts and passage planning essential.