On our trip to Michigan, we took a short detour to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan (pronounced “Soo Saint Marie”). The city is located on the St. Marys River along the Michigan/Canadian border in the Upper Peninsula. We stopped by on our way from Mackinac Island to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Our main reason for visiting was the to see the Soo Locks, where both large and small ships travel between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes.
Soo Locks
We visited Sault Ste. Marie primarily to see the Soo Locks in action. We lucked out and were able to see small/medium-sized boats and a large freighter travel through the locks. They were traveling from Lake Huron to Lake Superior, which meant they needed to rise 21 feet in the locks. The locks have a two-story observation deck for spectators to watch the ships pass through.
In addition to watching the ships pass through from the observation deck, you can also take a boat tour through the locks themselves. We didn’t have the chance to do this, but I’m sure it would be a remarkable experience. We watched a tour boat pass through the locks from the observation deck.
To read more about the Soo Locks, check out this page on the Sault Ste. Marie website: The Soo Locks, Sault Ste Marie.
Other Attractions
We road our bikes through the part of town near the locks. This was a cool area with a lot of local shops. I also read about kayaking/paddling opportunities on the St. Marys River, which would have been a neat experience.