Soo Boat Watching

[LisaIL]

Oh my goodness, we are finally here and we are having the time of our lives! I could watch these magnificent vessels for hours on end. I am so surprised how majestic they are and how quietly they pass! I really like watching those tugboats in action. The whole experience is so amazing! Yesterday we spent a good portion of the day at the locks, I could hardly tear myself away! It's surprising how fast they actually move in and out, or maybe time just seems to stand still while I am standing there in awe.

Thank you all for your wonderful information, as you have really given me a great road map to work from. We have decided to extend our trip by a day since we are finding more and more to do here! I believe I have found a new hobby, now I just need a better camera as my lil' Canon Sureshot is having a hard time keeping up with what I'm asking of her! Well it's off to see what today will bring! Than you all again for all your wonderful information and please keep up this site, as it is so helpful to us amateurs! Take care, Lisa

[Guest]

The Fitz went down about 13 miles out from Whitefish Pt. While at the
Shipwreck Museum you will see many of the Fitzgerald artifacts including her bell.

If you want the best Whitefish anywhere, on your way back from Whitefish Pt. you will go through Paradise. Stop at the Fish House, on M-123 about a quarter mile west of the blinking light in Paradise. The fish they serve is what they caught that morning.

We hit the Fish House during Engineers Week.
Outstanding Whitefish sandwich, we both took home a doggie bag.

[Case80]

Any one know if the campground at Paradice is still open,Thanks

[Mike B]

Don't let them scare you, in July it probably won't snow. At least not enough to need to shovel.

[Sinbad]

Unless it is snowing at the Soo when you get there, you won't be disappointed with the variety of interesting things to see. However, I would advise you to avoid the canyon train ride in Canada that is highly promoted. It is true that the ride across the trestle bridge is beautiful but to achieve that, you will spend several hours looking out the window with tree branches brushing the coaches. The trees are so thick that there is little opportunity to see beyond the windows. Too much ride, too little scenery.

[MilwBob]

Since you are coming up from Illinois, drive up to Manitowac and cruise across Lake Michigan to Ludington on the SS Badger, last coal-fired steamship on the lakes. Then drive up to Manistee, see the retired ferry 'SS City of Milwaukee' museum ship. Continueing north you come to Mackinaw City, where the original CG cutter Mackinaw is also open as a museum. Maybe a day-trip to Mackinac Island, then on up to the Soo!

[Guest]

Lisa, I have been going to the Calumet for 5yrs now and have not had a problem. Bring a friend if you would feel safer. But you willl have a great time at the Soo.

[UP North]

Hi Lisa!

You will love the Soo! There is nothing like it in the world! You will be standing right next to them as they make their way in and out of the locks. I have been going to the Soo for 20 years now and it still floors me to watch these huge things go in and out of the locks with easy! You will really appreciate that once you are standing there and see how huge these boats are! You also gotta goto Mission Point to Rotary Park and watch them from there. Awesome! Whitefish Point, ValleyCamp, Locks tour boats and more mentioned above are all musts! Can't wait for my July trip!

Enjoy!
Dan

[LisaIL]

Thank you Steve, Alex, and Chaz, for responding and giving me more information. I think this is one of the nicest groups of people I have ever met in this type of forum. You are all so welcoming! My friend is the one who reccomended this site. He has given me a very valuable place to get info. He told me the Soo was the place to go and I can see he is right! I value and respect his knowledge. As far as my side of the lake, he told me he had only been able to see ships from the Sears(now the Willis, how sad) Tower and at the Calumet River, which he told me was not safe. I respect what he says, so I am heading to the Soo to see the great ships as I can no longer just watch them by the AIS site as little red flags or by the web cams. I guess once those ships get a hold of you, you need to see them up close! I'd like to thank all of you again for your wonderful information. Lisa

[chaz]

Whenever i go to the soo we always camp. i spend alot of time at the visitors center, it is a helpful place to go. i also reccomend that you take a soo lcoks boat tour and also go on the museum ship valley camp. the soo locks visitors gate is open late into the night like 11 or 12 pm thats always fun to be there and watch a ship lock through at night. hope some of this helped :)

[AlexMich]

Hi Lisa! Looks like everyone has filled you in really good with a lot of the highlights! As for clothing, yes, bring some of each. July is typically warm and can get a little humid as usual by the lakes, but now and then a brief cool weather front will pass through and it's been nice to have a windbreaker or sweatshirt (or flannel shirt in my case, haha!). Also the wind can keep the lakeshore cool depending on the direction it is blowing. Please don't hesitate to ask more questions! It is enjoyable to watch and follow the boats!

[Steve B]

Lisa. Not sure where in IL you are, but boats can be seen on the south end of the Lake. I wont go into it on this thread because its about the Soo. Told you you would find a bunch of well qualified people on here. A great bunch all in all. Being a photographer of lighthouses, its worth the trip to go to Point Iroquois and Whitefish Point.
Steve

[LisaIL]

Hello Angie and MilwBob, Thank you both for all your valueable information. This site is awesome as you are all so helpful in helping me plan my trip. I can hardly wait for July to come, as I can tell this is going to be a fabulous trip. I will have to print out all this information as I don't want to miss anything! Bob, thank you for the other sites to watch from!
Angie, thanks for the links, I will be looking them up to be better informed and also I will be checking out the Steamer Myron. I really am not very proficient on the ships and what they carry at all. But am finding them more and more intriguing each day. And the tips on what to bring such as bug spray, thank you so much, as I would not have thought of that. It sounds like I should pack my chair in a bag to bring along, as it sounds like I will want to sit and watch for awhile. I am guessing that you must have the most beautiful sunsets and sunrises. How about the weather in July, what is that like? Do I need both warm and cool weather clothing?

[MilwBob]

Impossible to say what the boat traffic will be as there is no set schedule the boats adhere to. Pretty much up to chance; you may arrive at the Soo & 2 or 3 boats will be there, or you may arrive when the only traffic thru the locks will be the tour boats. Have had many times where there will be no traffic during the day, but 4-5 boats will pass thru in the middle of the night. The personel in the Locks Visitor's Center are very helpful & will answer any question put to them. They maintain a schedule board inside which shows any boats transiting the river on that day & their estimated arrival time at the Locks. The viewing platforms at the locks can be somewhat crowded; the best spot to watch the ships is at Mission Point, about 2 miles east of the locks, right next to Clydes Drive-in. I have found that Alford Park-next to the powerhouse- is another good spot to watch the boats.

[Angie]

Hey Lisa,

You are going to have a great time in the Soo. There’s almost too much to do & see!

Traffic-wise, there’s no way to tell at this point what vessels will/won’t go through at any given time. You can guess, though. It’s about 24 hrs from Detroit to the Soo, so look at the Dossin & Port Huron vessel passages to see what went through & when. (Hint: Sign up for the Boatnerd email updates to get a better idea on tools for following the boats.) Same thing for the lakehead (Duluth area & Thunder Bay in Canada) – not quite 24 hrs to the Soo. Like Steve B said, check the Visitors’ Center for info on when the boats will arrive that particular day.

Be prepared to have your bags searched when you enter the Locks Park. You can bring picnic items & chairs & have a picnic there, if you want. The two viewing stands on the ends have Plexiglas installed, so they’re not the best spots for taking pix on the inside. If you can secure a spot on their stairs, however, the view is excellent. Lots of neat exhibits in the Visitors’ Center, along with films in the theater.

Lots of places for pix up & down the river system. Stop at any gas station in the Soo & get a UniversalMAP of the “Sault Ste. Marie & St. Mary’s River Area Michigan & Ontario Street Map.” It shows everything in the area. Failing that, get one of the big, red Michigan Atlas & Gazetteers, so you don’t get lost.

On the western/upper St. Mary’s River end, you can go to the Mission Hill/Spectacle Lake overlook. It’s a spectacular view, & the gravesite for the Steamer Myron is there.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Myron
http://hunts-upguide.com/bay_mills_miss ... rlook.html
It’s very moving. Be sure to bring lots of bug spray, though – tons of mosquitoes. The Point Iroquois Lighthouse Mike B. mentioned is not far up the road from there. You can go up in the tower, which is also a spectacular view. He also told you about Whitefish Point, further up the way.

Back in town & heading east, you can get nice shots of the boats at Big Point from Sherman Park. This is the last check-in point for the downbound boats. Be sure to check out the West Pier, at the end of Portage Ave where it turns. The West Pier Drive-In is located there. The next spot is the Soo Locks Park itself. Further east is Brady Park, a decent spot for boats entering/leaving the Locks via the Lower Pool. The next good spot heading east is by the Valley Camp, a wonderful museum ship. After that, check out Alford Park, by the Edison plant. The next, & perhaps best, spot for taking boat pix, is Mission Point, at Rotary Island Park. This is also the location of the famous Clyde’s Drive-In, a must-eat. Further south, you can hit the Rock Cut (do a search for Rock Cut directions on the old search boards to get the best directions on how to get there). Last but not least, check out the view at DeTour Village, the last stop where the St. Mary’s River meets Lake Huron.

Attractions-wise, make sure you go to the Valley Camp museum ship, as well as the Tower of History. If you go up in the Tower when a boat is in the river, it’s a tremendous shot. There’s also the River of History Museum. A must-do is the Soo Locks Boat Tours, where you actually go through the Locks in one of their tour boats.

Food-wise, others have mentioned the Fish House, & I already mentioned the West Pier & Clyde’s Drive-Ins. Goetz Lockview Restaurant is great when the whitefish comes in fresh. Frank’s Place downtown has some of the best breakfasts in the state. Caffeine Express is my favorite coffee shop in the area, though Cup of the Day on Ashmun is good (neither is open on Sundays). Check out the Dining link at the Soo area convention link for more info. http://www.saultstemarie.com/

Lots to do, see, & eat. Have fun!

[LisaIL]

Thank you Mike, for the information on the Fitzgerald, I'm sure many people ask about her and want to look her up. It's so nice of you to give me your recommendations on where to find good fish. Thank you and we will definitely consider finding the Fish House in Paradise!

[Mike B]

The Fitz went down about 13 miles out from Whitefish Pt. While at the
Shipwreck Museum you will see many of the Fitzgerald artifacts including her bell.

If you want the best Whitefish anywhere, on your way back from Whitefish Pt. you will go through Paradise. Stop at the Fish House, on M-123 about a quarter mile west of the blinking light in Paradise. The fish they serve is what they caught that morning.

[LisaIL]

Hi Mike and Steve, Thank you both for your information. Yes, IL is for Illinois. I am looking forward to coming up as the literature and information I have received looks so beautiful. A friend of my introduced me to this site when the locks first opened this year and I have been intrigued ever since. I have been out to the Chicago lake front but have found that you can't really see much in the way of the big ships there, so I am really looking forward to seeing them when I get up there. I definitely will have to check out the Antler Restaurant and Bar, and Whitefish Bay and the museum are definitely on our list. I was wondering where the Edmund Fitzgerald sunk, is that nearby or is there a monument to her nearby? Thanks again for your information.

[Mike B]

I'm sure you will get plenty of help from this site about the Soo. Go to the visitors center and they can gove you an idea of how many ships will be through in the next few hours. Take an hour and a half ride up to Whitefish Point to the Light House and Shipwreck Museum. Enroute to Whitefish Point You can stop at the Pt. Iracoise (sic) lighthouse. Take a picnic lunch down to Mission Pt. Ask around and see if the Antlers Resurant and Bar is worth going to with the new owners. Have Fun.

[Steve B]

Hi Lisa. Inside the visitors center at the locks, there was a board or screen showing what was on the river at any given time. At least there was when I was there in 05. I am sure there are many people on here more qualified to help you, but I hope this is a start. Does IL stand for Illinois?
Steve