What the Triangle Loop is

The Triangle Loop is the most popular variant on the Great Loop — about a third the distance, a tenth the lock count, and roughly three to four weeks instead of nine to twelve months. You head up the Hudson, west through the Erie Canal to Oswego, north into Lake Ontario, east through the Thousand Islands and down the St. Lawrence to Montreal, then south through the Richelieu River and Lake Champlain back to where you started.

It's a real first-cruise loop. Lighter on commitment, easier on the calendar, and a great way to learn how to handle locks and customs before tackling the full Loop.

The Loop Type chip

At the top of your trip details there's a new "Loop Type" chip. Tap it and you'll see a two-section menu: Your Trip (whatever you're currently on) at the top, Preview a Different Loop below.

Tap any preview option and the planner switches to that loop — routes, side trips, stats, the map polylines — without touching your saved trip. The chip turns amber and dashed to remind you you're previewing. A "← Back to my trip" link lets you exit back to your real trip.

Make it your trip

When you're sure, click "Make Triangle Loop my trip" and confirm. The switch is one explicit action — no autosave on preview, no surprise commits. Your route options, side trip selections, and trip log all stay; just the underlying loop changes.

Side trips on the Triangle Loop

The Triangle Loop has one opt-in side trip: the Lower Hudson — from NYC north to Waterford if you want to start (or end) your Triangle loop in the harbor. Otherwise the Triangle starts at Waterford and you take the canal west from there.

Read the guide

There's a full Triangle Loop article in Learn now — covers the route segment-by-segment, the seasonal timing window, lock counts, and the Canadian customs side. Look for it under Learn → Routes & Waterways.