Our River Route

Many have asked about our route, so here it is. We went down Lake Michigan to Chicago and then the rivers begin.

We go through the first of 21 locks to enter the Chicago River and Chicago Shipping and Sanitary Canal. The Army Corps of Engineers actually reversed the flow of the Chicago river through the use of this lock. This gave us the opportunity to take Pearl Lee right through the heart of downtown Chicago. What a sight seeing tour! We crossed under over 40 bridges in just 5 miles while boating down a concrete canyon of sky scrapers.

After 24 miles the CSSC joins the Cal-Sag Canal and from there it becomes the Des Plaines River and eventually the Illinois River. We’re not real clear on where all this happens because the charts (nautical maps) are not consistent in their naming. Total mileage to get to the Mississippi river at Grafton, IL is 327 miles. Grafton is just north of St. Louis.

After traveling 218 miles down the mighty Mississippi we make a sharp left at Cairo, IL (pronounced KAY-ro) to go up the Ohio River about 60 miles to the Cumberland River.

The Cumberland takes us 30 miles to the Barkley Lock and Dam where we briefly enter Lake Barkley before turning right into the land cut that takes us to Kentucky Lake, actually part of the Tennessee River. Alternatively, you can stay on the Ohio to get to Kentucky Lake directly. It’s a little shorter, but not as scenic and can be crowded.

We go up Kentucky Lake and the Tennessee River for 190 miles before turning onto the Tenn-Tom Waterway.

The Tenn-Tom Waterway was a larger project than the Panama Canal and links the Tennessee River with the Tombigbee/Black Warrior River. When we enter the Tenn-Tom we will be 414′ above sea level, so we’ll be locking down that distance over the next 411 miles.

Finally the Tombigbee/Black Warrior river will take us to the Gulf. Total distance is about 1100 miles.

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