If you unraveled the shoreline of the Great Lakes, it would just fall short of stretching half way around the Earth. The region has more than 10,000 miles of coast, and a good portion is open to the public for recreation.
Many states have interactive maps that display water trails – water routes for boaters and paddlers – and provide information about beach access and amenities.
LAKE SUPERIOR
A Minnesota Department of Natural Resources mashup shows public access sites to Lake Superior beaches.
The Lake Superior Water Trail connects nearly 3,000 miles of shoreline in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ontario, Canada. The project promotes low-impact recreation and protection of the region’s coldest lake.
Minnesota has approximately 200 miles of Lake Superior shoreline. An interactive map from the state department of natural resources shows which areas are available to the public.
A box on the left-hand side of the page shows the entire shoreline. Click anywhere to zoom into a specific area.
Nearly 200 miles of Wisconsin shoreline is open to the Lake Superior Water Trail.
A fifth of Wisconsin’s 800 miles of coastline is available for public recreation, according to state data.
A Wisconsin regional planning commission recently studied the state’s beaches and natural areas and put together this mashup to highlight some the sites.
Click on an icon to view more information about each site.
For example, a natural area near Port Wing, Wis. allows kayaking and fishing, but camping is not permitted.
LAKE MICHIGAN
A mashup that shows Lake Michigan routes along the coast of Wisconsin is in development.
A water trail along Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan shoreline is in development.
These maps are not sponsored by any state agency, but they provide information for current and proposed launch and landing sites for kayakers.
Illinois has 86 miles of shoreline on Lake Michigan, and a fourth is open to the public.
Openlands, a Chicago conservation group, put together a water trail map that shows the best waterways for paddlers and places to avoid.
The map is available for download in pdf format.