Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan Cruises
There is plenty to do in Sault Ste. Marie whether you are arriving by ship on a Great Lake Cruise or driving in by car “The Soo” historic downtown is where the action is. Home of the Soo Locks, visitors from around the world come to see the shipping traffic pass through the locks. You can take a boat tour for a personal close-up look of this amazing engineering wonder, or walk aboard a retired Great Lakes freighter or visit the SS. Valley Camp. Experience the natural charms of the Tahquamenon Falls State Park and forests of the Upper Peninsula. Michigan's oldest city has many Sault Historic Sites for you to visit including a panoramic view from the Tower of History.
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Sault Sainte Marie (Michigan) is a port of call for the following Great Lakes Cruises:
Viking Ponant Victory Cruise Lines Pearl Seas Cruises |
Things to do in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan
SOO LOCKS
This man-made marvel was built in 1855 and connects Lake Superior to Lake Huron. Being the busiest lock system in the world, between seven and ten thousand ships pass through the Soo Locks during the shipping season each year. Being too large to travel through the Welland Canal that bypasses Niagara Falls, larger domestic carriers (called lakers) need to travel through the Soo Locks. Large ships that pass through the locks are approximately 1,000 feet long by 105 feet wide. The largest ship to pass through the Soo Locks is larger than three football fields in length. The Paul R. Tregurtha measures 1,013 feet and 6 inches. Smaller foreign ships (termed salties) can exit the Great Lakes by way of the St. Lawrence River and Atlantic Ocean.
TOWER OF HISTORY
Built in 1968 by the Catholic Church as the Shrine of the Missionaries, the Tower of History remains true to its original mission and includes local and Native American history. Towering at 210 feet above Sault Ste. Marie and the Soo Locks, an express elevator will take you to an observation deck where you will experience a spectacular 360 degree view of the St. Mary River to the Canadian wilderness. The Lower Level features video presentation along with museum exhibits.
Address: 326 E. Portage Avenue, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783
This man-made marvel was built in 1855 and connects Lake Superior to Lake Huron. Being the busiest lock system in the world, between seven and ten thousand ships pass through the Soo Locks during the shipping season each year. Being too large to travel through the Welland Canal that bypasses Niagara Falls, larger domestic carriers (called lakers) need to travel through the Soo Locks. Large ships that pass through the locks are approximately 1,000 feet long by 105 feet wide. The largest ship to pass through the Soo Locks is larger than three football fields in length. The Paul R. Tregurtha measures 1,013 feet and 6 inches. Smaller foreign ships (termed salties) can exit the Great Lakes by way of the St. Lawrence River and Atlantic Ocean.
TOWER OF HISTORY
Built in 1968 by the Catholic Church as the Shrine of the Missionaries, the Tower of History remains true to its original mission and includes local and Native American history. Towering at 210 feet above Sault Ste. Marie and the Soo Locks, an express elevator will take you to an observation deck where you will experience a spectacular 360 degree view of the St. Mary River to the Canadian wilderness. The Lower Level features video presentation along with museum exhibits.
Address: 326 E. Portage Avenue, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783
Get to know Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan
- Since the locks are part of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, ships from around the world travel through this port that connects Duluth and Minnesota to the Atlantic.
- It takes about 9 hours for a freighter to pass through the St. Mary's River system, between Lake Superior and Lake Huron
- Each year the Soo Locks experiences about 7,000 passages.
- 100% of iron ore passes through the Soo locks yearly. This breaks down to about 85 tons of cargo each year, valued at $ 500.5 billion dollars yearly.
- Today there is no charge to travel through the locks. However, between 1855 to 1881 there use to be a toll of 3-4 cents per ton
- Open 24 hours a day, the crew works a 42 week long navigation season to complete these lokages.
- The locks are powered by gravity when water moves through the lock chambers with the opening and closing of its values and requires 22 million gallons of water for each boat to pass through.
- Personal watercraft (with engines) are only permitted through the locks with pre approval from the lockmaster.
- The first vessels on the great lakes were 40-foot long canoes.