Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, offers you an unparalleled starting point for adventures on the Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Stroll through forests, walk trails along the coast, and paddle in the waters of Lake Superior. Lighthouses built before the US Civil War lines the southern shore of Lake Superior, as well as incredible beaches; different paths will allow you to discover extraordinary views and places of nature.
“The Soo”: The place where everything began
The main artery of the region is the St. Marys River (St. Marys River), which flows from Lake Superior (Lake Superior) and travels by the rapids that give the city its name (the French settlers called them “Les Saults de Ste. Marie “,” Sault “translates as” falls “or” falls “) towards Lake Huron (Lake Huron). Due to its privileged location, Sault Ste. Marie was destined to emphasize: “The Soo”, the English pronunciation of the French word “Sault”, is the place where Michigan was born.
The Soo Locks
The famous passage of the Soo Locks (Soo locks) allows the freighters to avoid the rapids and to cross in both directions the St. Marys River, to form an important part of the Great Lakes Waterway (Great Lakes Waterway). You can see how the locks work from the top of the 64-meter Tower of History and near the center of Sault Ste. Marie; on average, they pass through about 10,000 boats a year. Or, you can take a boat tour of the Soo Locks and see the cargo ships up close as you go through the locks yourself. Wanna say special thanks to By The Side Walk.
The SS Valley Camp and Water Street
From the top of the tower, you can also see the SS Valley Camp, a cargo ship of the Great Lakes that became a 6100 square meter museum. Samples include the lifeboats of SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank in 1975 on Lake Superior with a crew of 29 on board. The Valley Camp hosts four 4500 liter aquariums filled with fish from the Great Lakes.
A stroll down the street brings you closer to historic Water Street, where you can visit the home of John Johnston and Bishop Bishop Baraga, and the office of Henry Rowe Schoolcraft. In addition to exhibits, historic buildings house artists representing fur traders, missionaries, and settlers.
Whitefish Bay
Upstream, from the city, the mouth of the St. Marys River is located in Whitefish Bay (Whitefish Bay), infamous for the large number of shipwrecks that occurred after the opening of the Soo Locks in 1855. Today, the bay is also a popular place for boating, kayaking and rowing: take advantage of its calm waters during the warmer months. Many rowers will take the trails and climb the hills to get an incredible view of Lake Superior, or stroll along the shore, decide to swim, fish or observe the typical birds of the place.
How to get
You can get to Chippewa County International Airport, located 20 miles south of Sault Ste. Marie by direct Delta flights from Detroit, Michigan. From there, it is easy to rent a car and head to “Las Soo”.
