The main attraction in Michigan’s oldest city is the Soo Locks, a set of two (soon to be three) locks that allow freighters to make the journey from Lake Superior to the lower Great Lakes or from the lower Great Lakes to Lake Superior. Visitors come from all over to see this engineering wonder in Sault Ste. Marie, and there’s no better way to experience the locks than with a Famous Soo Locks Boat Tour. We recently had the chance to brave a rainy day outing aboard the Nokomis, and loved learning about the area’s history, seeing a few large freighters pass by, transiting the Canadian lock and the Soo Locks, and getting a different perspective on Sault Ste. Marie landmarks while seeing them from the water. Today we will share a little bit about our cruise experience, tell you how to book your own trip, and share an extensive photo gallery. This is an amazing experience and something you don’t want to miss out on when you visit the Upper Peninsula!

The Famous Soo Locks Boat Tours depart from a dock next to the Museum Ship Valley Camp (515 E. Portage Ave.). We departed at 10 a.m. and due to a couple of upbound freighters heading to the locks we headed east first where we got the chance to get up close to both the Manitoulin and the Edwin H. Gott.

We cruised along the shoreline and got to see the Cloverland Hydroelectric Plant, the LSSU Center for Freshwater Research and Education, MCM Marine, the Soo Locks Campground, Soo Marine Supply and the Ojibway, the dock for the Original Soo Locks Boat Tours, and even the Little Rapids Cut Light and Sugar Island ferry dock.

The boat next slowly made its way along the Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario shoreline. We passed the Bushplane Heritage Museum, a fleet of tugs at Purvis Marine, and the rest of the waterfront buildings. The rain had picked up a little bit as we neared the locks, where both freighters had made their way in. After some misty views of the remaining rapids in the St. Mary’s River we headed for the Canadian lock.

The Sault Canal Lock is 250 feet long and 50 feet wide, and it handles recreational traffic and is a National Historic Site of Parks Canada. After the Nokomis had been raised up we headed out, passing under the International Bridge on our way to Algoma Steel.

The freighter Robert S. Pierson was unloading at Algoma, and we got excellent narration about the process that takes place there.

The saltwater freighter Federal Yukina was unloading out at the commercial dock.

The rain still hadn’t let up, which made taking photos a little more difficult. I was impressed with how dry we stayed up on the top deck under the awning.

The Edwin H. Gott and Manitowoc had cleared the locks by this point, so we got to see them again before heading in for our own trip through.

I’ve watched many ships pass through here from the Soo Locks Visitor Center viewing platform, so it was cool to be on the opposite end of that for just the second time.

One thing that was different on this trip compared to my last cruise was all of the construction that is ongoing to build a third lock. This process began in 2019 and is expected to wrap up sometime around 2030.

After getting lowered down 21 feet the gates opened and we started the short trip back to the dock. We passed. by the Army Corps of Engineers fleet of tugs and work vessels, U.S. Coast Guard Station Sault Ste. Marie, the historic homes on Water St., and the Kemp Marina.

An added treat was getting to see the Dancing Hare super yacht for the second time this summer. The yacht, owned by Anna Murdoch, was in Harbor Springs in July when we did a sunset cruise on the Harbor Princess, and we now crossed paths with it again.

This was a fantastic trip and all four of us had a blast. For as rainy as the forecast had looked, the crew made the best of it and got us some amazing views despite the weather. Famous Soo Locks Boat Tours run several trips per day, with trips lasting around two hours. You can buy tickets online ahead of time and save a few dollars, and you might want to check out their fireworks and lighthouse cruise options as well! Enjoy the photo gallery below for a deeper look at our trip: