Hello, There are many ways to do the Loop, not just one way so don't worry. An example for you is that our Sedan Bridge SeaRay was too tall to take the Western portion of the Erie Canal but fine taking the Eastern portion. The Eastern Erie Canal portion has a 20 foot limit. You will have to check all the heights for the whole trip but don't fret, there are alternatives. We traveled from Charlevoix, Michigan North across the beautiful North Channel and also beautiful Georgian Bay through the outstanding Trent Severn Waterway in Canada starting at Severn and ending at Trent. This whole portion is one I highly, highly recommend!!! We have travelled different ways but this is special. Then, we cruised across Lake Ontario to Oswego & down the canal to the Erie Canal where we headed East for the Eastern portion. Eventually, reaching the Hudson River we traveled South to the neat New York Harbor. Out on the ocean to Cape May, then, took the ICW down to Florida going out on the ocean at some spots & back in at safe inlets. Even though there are many inlets, it does not mean the inlet(s) are safe or deep enough. This is very important. If your boat is tall & you are heading down the Illinois rivers & South. We took off some of our equipment on top of our boat if we were too high until we passed under the short one or three fixed bridges. You can weight your boat down some, too, or do both if necessary. We could not go through downtown Chicago but the other way. The water levels were low when we traveled, too. Check the water levels with the authorities or books so you know the correct heights of the bridges. We did this and were okay. Have a great time! It is a trip of a lifetime! : ) Fran