Lake Erie is one of the Great Lakes situated in North America. It serves as a major recreational hub for boaters and sailors due to its ideal wind conditions, stunning scenery, and numerous ports. However, for boats that want to reach the ocean from Lake Erie, several channels need to be navigated, and there are different routes available.
One of the most popular routes is by the Erie Canal, also known as the New York State Canal System. This canal connects the Great Lakes to the Hudson River, which flows to the Atlantic Ocean. The canal is a 363-mile system with 57 locks, and it is the most direct route to the ocean. The canal system’s benefits include no waves, no wind worries, and no limited height clearance. Apart from the locks, the canal’s only restrictions are in-depth and boat size. The maximum boat size is 318 feet with a draft of 12.5 feet.
Another option for vessels is to directly navigate from Lake Erie into the St. Lawrence River. This route flows into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Atlantic Ocean, and ultimately the east coast of North America. This route may be chosen due to its size restrictions being much larger than the Erie Canal. However, bear in mind that the rate of the St. Lawrence River’s flow may be a challenge to navigate for smaller boats, especially during peak summer.
A lesser-known route is the Trent-Severn Waterway. This system connects Lake Huron and Lake Ontario, running through the middle of Ontario Province. It offers boaters an excellent opportunity to see Canada’s heartland, gorgeous scenery, and an opportunity to visit the 44 locks along the way. The system is around 240 miles long and consists of natural and man-made channels and runs through numerous communities and villages. The highest vessel clearance for the channel is approximately 22 feet.
The route taken may depend on the boats’ needs, time constraints, and other factors. However, these routes offer some of the most favorable scenery and freshwater boating you will ever experience, and they definitely possess some of the most captivating aspects of North American inland waterways. It is always crucial that boaters planning on taking these routes to study the routes well and plan out their journeys with safety and fun in mind. Happy boating.