System Conditions: Navigation - Excerpt of NOAA Coast Pilot (NOAA, pdf, 3.74 MB)
This is an excerpt of The Coast Pilot, a book produced by NOAA documenting navigation conditions for Great Lakes mariners. It is excerpted here because of its status as a valuable, official compendium of information about Great Lakes navigation not available elsewhere. This excerpt includes general information, navigation regulations applying specifically to Chicago-region locations, Great Lakes navigation information, and specific navigation conditions for Lake Michigan from Michigan City to Kenosha and the Illinois Waterway. Appendices include resources for mariners and shipping distances for the Illinois Waterway, Lake Michigan, Great Lakes, and the Atlantic Ocean.
NOAA On-line Chart Viewer (NOAA, online charts)
NOAA Charts for the Great Lakes and adjacent waters are available online at including Chart 14927 (Chicago Lakefront); 14928 (Chicago Harbor); and 14929 (Calumet, Indiana, and Buffington Harbors, and Lake Calumet).