Rivers Connecting the Great Lakes

The Great Lakes are linked by a series of connecting channels (often called rivers, though some are straits):

• St. Marys River – connects Lake Superior to Lake Huron (includes Soo Locks).
• St. Clair River – flows from Lake Huron into Lake St. Clair.
• Detroit River – connects Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie.
• Niagara River – connects Lake Erie to Lake Ontario (includes Niagara Falls and Welland Canal bypass).
• St. Lawrence River – drains Lake Ontario to the Atlantic Ocean.

Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are hydrologically one lake (connected by the Straits of Mackinac). The entire system forms the world's largest freshwater surface area, with a combined drainage basin of 765,000 km².