Public Anchorage Reference

Great Loop and Eastern U.S. Anchorages

Explore public anchorage reference points along the Great Loop, Atlantic ICW, Chesapeake Bay, Florida, Gulf Coast, Great Lakes, and inland river cruising routes. Use this library for trip planning, route awareness, and float plan preparation -- then verify current charts, weather, local rules, and observed conditions before anchoring.

170Published anchorages
13Location groups
20States / provinces
67Waterways

Plan With FPW

Before You Leave The Dock

Before you leave the dock, build a float plan that records your route, passengers, vessel details, and return plan.

Create a Float Plan

Anchorage Map

Showing 10 featured anchorages. Use search or filters to explore the full library.

Browse by Waterway

Adams Creek 1Albemarle Sound 1Alligator River 1Altamaha Sound 1Anclote River 1Apalachicola Bay 1Atlantic ICW 4Atlantic Ocean / NJ 1Barnegat Bay 1Beaufort / Morehead City 1Beaufort River 1Big Bend 4Biscayne Bay 2C&D Canal 1Caloosahatchee River 2Cape Fear River 1Cape May Harbor 1Charleston Harbor 1Chesapeake Bay 15Clearwater Harbor 1Cumberland Sound 1Currituck Sound 1Delaware Bay 1Erie Canal / Oneida Lake 1Florida Keys 4Frederica River 1Georgian Bay 7Great Egg Harbor Bay 1Green Bay 4Gulf Coast ICW 6Halifax River 1Hudson River 8ICW 1Illinois River 6Indian River 6Lake Huron 4Lake Michigan 14Lake Ontario 3Lake Worth 1Matanzas River 2Mississippi River 2Mobile Bay 1Mobile River 1Neuse River 2North Channel 9Ohio River 1Panhandle ICW 3Pensacola Bay 2Perdido Bay / ICW 2Port Royal Sound 2Pungo River 2Sapelo Sound 1Savannah River 1South Edisto River 1St. Johns River 1St. Joseph Bay 1St. Lucie River 1St. Marys River 1Stono River 1Straits of Mackinac 1Tampa Bay 2Tenn-Tom Waterway 4Tennessee River 5Tombigbee River 3Waccamaw River 2Wassaw Sound 1Winyah Bay 2

Plan the stop, then verify before you anchor

Great Loop and Eastern U.S. anchorages can be useful for planning overnight stops, weather delays, staging before locks or bridges, and building safer route-backed float plans.

Check current charts

Anchorages, depths, no-anchor zones, mooring fields, and local restrictions can change.

Watch weather and exposure

A protected anchorage in one wind direction may be uncomfortable or unsafe in another.

Know your exit plan

Review nearby channels, bridges, shoals, traffic, and alternate stops before committing.

Leave a float plan

If you are delayed, someone ashore should know your route, passengers, vessel details, and expected return.

Source and Review Basis

This library is built from reviewed FPW anchorage records and public chart/reference sources where available. It is intended for trip planning and route awareness only. Always verify current official charts, notices, weather, local rules, and conditions before anchoring.

Planning-Only Safety Disclaimer

This anchorage reference is for trip planning only. Always verify current charts, notices to mariners, local rules, depth, weather, tides/currents, holding, and observed conditions before anchoring.

NOAA chart layers are provided for planning context and are not a substitute for official navigation.