TheGreat Lakes are an important water system ofNorth America for transportation, commerce, and recreation; they lie mostly on the border between theUnited States of America andCanada.
The size is difficult to appreciate until you see them: at 94,250 square miles (244,100 km2) combined, the lakes are nearly as large as theUnited Kingdom, and there are places where a plane flying over one will not see land. Taken collectively, they are the second-largest reserve of fresh water by volume outside the polar ice caps (slightly smaller by volume thanLake Baikal inRussia), making them an invaluable natural resource. Even considered individually, they are huge.
TheSaint Lawrence Seaway is a large system of canals and locks, jointly built and jointly managed by the US and Canadian governments, which allows ocean-going vessels into this lake system so that some cities far inland in both countries are now important ports for worldwide trade.
Although lakes often have names like "This Lake" and "That Lake", the Great Lakes are named the other way around as "Lake This" and "Lake That". Listed West-to-East (with rank on Wikipedia's list of the world's largest lakes by volume of water in parentheses), they are:
| Lake Superior (3rd) The largest and westernmost lake, sometimes said to have the shape of a wolf's head, has the largest surface area of any freshwater lake on Earth. |
| Lake Michigan (6th) The only Great Lake located entirely in the U.S., a long narrow body of water plunging south. Includes Green Bay on its western side. |
| Lake Huron (7th) IncludingGeorgian Bay, almost a separate lake, on the east side and the North Channel on the north |
| Lake Erie (17th) The southernmost lake. |
| Lake Ontario (11th) The easternmost. |
The American-Canadian border runs more-or-less down the middle of lakes Huron, Erie and Ontario. The border also runs across Lake Superior, but most of that lake is in the US; the border is just north ofIsle Royale National Park, the big island on the west side. Lake Michigan is entirely in the US, Georgian Bay and the North Channel entirely in Canada.
The border betweenMichigan on the east andWisconsin andIllinois on the west runs down the middle of Lake Michigan.
The Great Lakes themselves are not the only waterways in the system. Ones that connect the lakes are:
The border runs through most of these as well, though it only follows the Saint Lawrence for a short distance; further east, both sides of the river are in Québec and the border is further south, following the 45th parallel across northern Vermont.
Some moderately large bodies of water attached to the lakes are:
The following regions lie around the Great Lakes.
The following cities lie on or close to the shores of the Great Lakes.
Broken down according to the bodies of water they are on, and in upstream-to-downstream order, some important places are:
The region is well provided with recreational areas; in roughly west-to-east order, some of the main ones are:
, popular as "cottage country" for Toronto and nearby areas, part of Lake HuronSome of these are quite developed and others still close to wilderness.
The Great Lakes cover avast region, so there are naturally many points of entry, preeminent among which isChicago's busyO'Hare International Airport. Other major airports, in order starting from the busiest, include:Detroit Metropolitan,Toronto Pearson International,Minneapolis-St. Paul International,Chicago Midway, andCleveland-Hopkins International.
The principal highways of the Great Lakes on the U.S. side of the border are I-90, which runs east-west along the south coasts, and I-94, which runs a more eccentric course from the west coast of Lake Michigan, through Chicago, central Michigan,Detroit andPort Huron where it then passes across the river toSarnia,Ontario. On the Canadian side,Highway 401 runs west-east fromWindsor-Detroit throughToronto and on toKingston andMontreal. TheTrans-Canada Highway traces the northern shores of Lake Huron and Lake Superior.
Rail travel around the Great Lakes is served by Amtrak Lake Shore Limited and Amtrak Wolverine.
There is only one carferry operating in the Great Lakes: theS.S. Badger across Lake Michigan betweenLudington,Michigan andManitowoc,Wisconsin.
The Great Lakes boast some of the world's greaturban skylines, and their crystal blue waters also provide anyone with a boat the means to take in a grand view of them.Chicago, the birthplace of the skyscraper, has a claim to be the greatest, but it's a hard claim to stake in a region with skylines such as those ofToronto andDetroit, and to a lesser extentMilwaukee,Cleveland,Hamilton,Buffalo, andRochester.
Natural destinations abound along the region's lakeshores. TheIndiana Dunes, andSleeping Bear Dunes, andPictured Rocks National Lakeshore provide the most striking lakeside landscapes, while island destinations like theThousand Islands,Isle Royale National Park,St. Joseph Island, theLake Erie Islands, andManitoulin Island make for natural vacation destinations.
Major attractions right on the water are similarly in large supply.Chicago'sNavy Pier on Lake Michigan is one of the most visited attractions in the Midwest for its amusement park, live entertainment, shops, restaurants, and theater.Toronto'sCN Tower on Lake Ontario is the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere, providing tourists with great views, including one very steep one down from the glass floor.Cedar PointAmusement Park nearSandusky,Ohio, has been voted best amusement park in the world for at least a decade byAmusement Today. Perhaps the best known to the world, though, is massiveNiagara Falls.
Manyboaters use the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence Seaway and their connection points as a travel route. There are many marinas and public boat ramps available for this purpose, and the lakes and connected waterways such as theErie Canal andRideau Canal are popular with peoplecruising on their own or chartered boats. Also, theVictory Cruise Lines,Great Lakes Cruising Company[dead link]Pearl Seas Cruises and theBlount Small Ship Adventures[dead link] providecruise ships on the Great Lakes. Cruise Season typically runs from May through October.
Zebra mussels Swimmers have the invasive species of zebra mussels from the Caspian Sea to thank for the clear waters—each one of the billions, the size of a fingernail, filters nearly a liter per day. They have been enormously disruptive to local ecosystems, and their sharp shells are a terrible hassle for anyone trying to clean the hull of their boat, but they have had a couple of pleasant side effects. In addition to making the waters such a lovely clear crystal blue, their filtering efforts have increased the population and size of smallmouth bass in Lake Erie and yellow perch in Lake St. Clair. |
Great Lakesbeaches are something most of the world has overlooked. While yes, for much of the year, it's too cold toswim, there are some fantastic beaches that are usable in the summer months. The lakes are big enough to make you feel like you are at the ocean, with waves to boot, but without the annoying salt and jellyfish. And throughout much of the water system, the water is actually clean enough to drink (not recommended) and certainly clear enough where you can freely open your eyes underwater. Some of the most famous beaches include the Great Lakes' longest atWasaga Beach inCentral Ontario, the beach volleyball hub of the Midwest atLincoln Park Beach inChicago, the beautiful beaches along theIndiana Dunes National Park, and the affluent beach communities along Chicago's version of the Hamptons inHarbor Country,Michigan. And even when it's too cold for swimming, several beaches throughout the region are actually known forsurfing.
In this area, if someone says something like "let's go to the Lake" without naming it, they're probably referring to the nearest Great one.
There isn't any one sort of souvenir or good associated with the Great Lakes (aside, perhaps, from Detroit automobiles or Milwaukee beer), but there are plenty of great places to go shopping.Chicago'sMagnificent Mile is renowned as one of the world's truly great retail strips.Yorkville serves much the same purpose inToronto. A smaller retail location is inDetroit'sRenaissance Center, which is probably worth a visit regardless of whether you want to shop at its many stores and souvenir shops.Tower City Center inCleveland is another major shopping complex, with retail running the gamut from high end boutiques to low-end national franchises and back again.
What could possibly unite the disparate culinary regions of the Great Lakes? Oh right,fish. Lake trout, wild salmon, chubs, smelt, perch, walleye, and whitefish are all very popular both among recreational and commercial fishers throughout the region. Smoked fish and shrimp is especially popular in small "shacks," particularly along the industrial shores of southwestern Lake Michigan, and you should jump at the chance to try some.
Similarities end at fish, however. TheChicagoland area is a culinary delight, from high end contemporary American inChicago, to low end regional fast food like Chicago-style pizza, hot dogs, etc., and cuisines brought their via the tides of immigration from the AmericanSouth,Greece,Middle East,Mexico,Vietnam, etc.Toronto rivals Chicago for international cuisine, both high and low end, with enormous immigrant populations from all overAsia especially.
There is one city in this region synonymous with drinking, and that isMilwaukee.Brew City was for a long time the world's leading beer producer, and remains firmly associated with the drink both in the popular culture ideal and the reality of the city's great nightlife. While none can rival that of Milwaukee, the cities and towns lining the Great Lakes largely share its affection for the drink, particularly in can form, accompanied with cheap shots of liquor.
High end nightlife in the Great Lakes congregates in bothChicago andToronto. Live music, however, is much more widespread, with vibrant independent music scenes throughout all the major cities, especially inChicago andDetroit.
Where next? Perhaps the obvious choice would be to head deeper into theMidwest, perhaps down theMississippi River towardsSt. Louis,Memphis, andNew Orleans,up the Mississippi through the Twin Cities (Minneapolis andSaint Paul) to the river’s source in the North Woods ofItasca State Park, or down through the cornfields toIndianapolis.
Following the waterways east takes you along theSt. Lawrence River through theThousand Islands and towardsMontreal,Quebec City, and on toCanada'sAtlantic Provinces. Or you could turn south from the St. Lawrence towardsLake Champlain to get toLake George and theAdirondacks.
Keep following I-90 west to get deep into the American Interior. It will eventually take you into theBlack Hills and Badlands region ofSouth Dakota, home toMount Rushmore (and a lot of bison), and on toWyoming.
On the Canadian side, theTrans-Canada Highway leads west along the north shore of lakes Huron and Superior as far asThunder Bay, then on toWinnipeg and Canada'sPrairie Provinces. Much of that route is through quite lightly populated areas; what you see will be mostly trees and lakes with the occasional moose. Those more interested in cities may prefer to cross into the US and take a route that runs south of the lakes.
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