Circle tour planner

Plan a Great Lakes circle tour, day by day.

Choose a lake, how many days you have and where you're starting. We'll split the loop into even days of driving, pick a town for every night and hand the plan to the trip builder for directions, a calendar and a GPS file.

Lake Ontario Circle Tour

3 days from Toronto, clockwise.

Total driving12 h 35 min
Distance617 mi (993 km)
Stops16
Longest dayDay 2, 4 h 30 min

This loop crosses the U.S.–Canada border. Everyone needs a passport, passport card or NEXUS card, and border waits can add an hour on summer weekends.

Open in the trip builder Seaway Trail and Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail

  1. Day 1

    Toronto to Gananoque

    4 h 10 min driving223 mi (359 km)

    1. 01

      1 h 12 min · 73 mi (117 km) from Toronto

      Cobourg ON
    2. 02

      1 h 22 min · 67 mi (108 km) from Cobourg

      Sandbanks Provincial Park ON · Park & beach
    3. 03

      17 min · 10 mi (16 km) from Sandbanks Provincial Park

      Picton ON
    4. 04

      57 min · 52 mi (84 km) from Picton

      Kingston ON
    5. 05

      23 min · 21 mi (34 km) from Kingston

      Gananoque ON
    Directions in Google Maps Overnight in or near Gananoque

  2. Day 2

    Gananoque to Rochester

    4 h 30 min driving203 mi (326 km)

    1. 06

      29 min · 23 mi (36 km) from Gananoque

      Alexandria Bay NY
    2. 07

      16 min · 12 mi (19 km) from Alexandria Bay

      Clayton NY
    3. 08

      34 min · 26 mi (42 km) from Clayton

      Sackets Harbor NY
    4. 09

      1 h 1 min · 54 mi (87 km) from Sackets Harbor

      Oswego NY
    5. 10

      31 min · 18 mi (29 km) from Oswego

      Fair Haven Beach State Park NY · Park & beach
    6. 11

      40 min · 25 mi (40 km) from Fair Haven Beach State Park

      Chimney Bluffs State Park NY · Park & beach
    7. 12

      59 min · 46 mi (74 km) from Chimney Bluffs State Park

      Rochester NY
    Directions in Google Maps Overnight in or near Rochester

  3. Day 3

    Rochester to Toronto

    3 h 55 min driving192 mi (309 km)

    1. 13

      11 min · 7.4 mi (12 km) from Rochester

      Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse NY · Lighthouse
    2. 14

      1 h 33 min · 79 mi (127 km) from Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse

      Youngstown NY
    3. 15

      28 min · 18 mi (28 km) from Youngstown

      Niagara-on-the-Lake ON
    4. 16

      56 min · 45 mi (72 km) from Niagara-on-the-Lake

      Hamilton ON

    Back to Toronto: 47 min · 43 mi (69 km)

    Directions in Google Maps

Your loop

The circle tour on the map.

Loading the map. The links and itinerary below are always available.

Lines join stops in visiting order; they are not roads. Use the Google Maps links for turn-by-turn directions.

Black-and-white basemap by OpenStreetMap. Great Lakes highlighted in color. Hold Ctrl (or Command) while scrolling to zoom. Use two fingers on touch screens.

Lake outlines: Natural Earth (public domain). Town centers: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Not for navigation.

All five loops

The Great Lakes circle tours at a glance.

Distances and driving time for the full loop from each tour's usual starting city, stopping at every town, lighthouse and park on our route.

Circle tourStarts inDistanceDrivingRelaxedBrisk
Lake Superior Circle Tour Duluth, MN 1,296 mi (2,085 km) 25 h 50 min 10 days 6 days
Lake Michigan Circle Tour Chicago, IL 1,103 mi (1,776 km) 22 h 40 min 8 days 5 days
Lake Huron Circle Tour Port Huron, MI 1,178 mi (1,895 km) 24 h 45 min 8 days 5 days
Lake Erie Circle Tour Buffalo, NY 723 mi (1,163 km) 15 h 5 min 5 days 3 days
Lake Ontario Circle Tour Toronto, ON 617 mi (993 km) 12 h 35 min 5 days 3 days

Good to know

Circle tour questions.

What is a Great Lakes circle tour?
Each of the five Great Lakes has a signed scenic route that loops all the way around its shore, crossing state and provincial lines (Lake Ontario's is the Seaway Trail in New York and the Waterfront Trail in Ontario). Following one is a classic North American road trip, with lighthouses, beaches, harbor towns and big-water views the whole way.
How long does the Lake Superior Circle Tour take?
Our route around Lake Superior covers about 1,296 mi (2,085 km) and 25 h 50 min of driving, before any stops. At a relaxed pace of no more than 3½ hours a day it takes 10 days; with up to 6 hours a day you can do it in 6. Bring a passport: about half the loop is in Ontario.
How many days do you need for the Lake Michigan Circle Tour?
Allow 5 to 8 days. The loop through Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana is about 1,103 mi (1,776 km) with 22 h 40 min of driving. Cut a day or two by taking the S.S. Badger or Lake Express ferry across the lake.
Which way should I drive a circle tour?
Clockwise keeps the lake on your right, which in the U.S. and Canada puts you in the lane next to the water and makes it easier to pull off at viewpoints. Counterclockwise works just as well if it suits your starting point or the weather.
How does the planner choose overnight stops?
It walks the loop in order and splits it into the number of days you choose so the daily driving is as even as possible, always ending each day in a town with places to stay. Lighthouses, parks and waterfalls along the way are included as stops unless you choose towns only.

Drive times and distances: OSRM routing over OpenStreetMap data (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), calibrated to typical travel times. Times are estimates for planning, not navigation. Check road, border and ferry conditions before you travel.

More planning tools: trip builder, ferry or drive calculator, northern lights forecast, water temperatures and the ship watcher.