Soo Lock Tours & More

Weather was cloudy and cold but no rain so we headed for Sault Ste Marie…planned to take a shortcut but the bridge was out and they detoured us to M-28...more one lane construction in the few miles to I-75.

Once in town we made it to the Soo Locks Boat Tours... we signed up for the 12:30pm departure at a cost of $21 per adult. We had some extra time so we had a snack…the infamous UP Pasty…still not able to find one that is better than my mom’s but some are coming pretty close…we will need to stock up on a few of these before leaving the area.

We came prepared with layers of clothes, hats, and gloves because we wanted to be on top of the boat which was not heated or covered so we used them all but it was worth it. The scenic ride was spectacular...
and going through the Locks was awesome.

Many years ago, I took my daughter on this tour but it was even more spectacular this time around and I really understood the complexity of the entire system and why the need to build them in the first place.

Once we completed the tour, we then wanted to see some of the big ships come into the Locks so we went to view them from the park. This was spectacular as well, we were able to see the Buffalo which was over 600’ but then was able to watch the 1,004’ American Spirit come into the Locks too…WOW!

The Valley Camp Museum Ship was very interesting, educational and is self-toured that costs $10 per adult, $5 per child. The most intriguing part of this museum for me was that it was actually on a ship, made me a bit queasy but not as bad as I anticipated.

To see how they actually cut and placed items into areas where it was apparent that during it’s voyage days was used for more useful purposes, then walking atop the ship and taking some photos of the adjacent marina with a freighter passing by was just so peaceful and calming.

We ate at a really touristy place, named Goetz’s Lockview Restaurant located right across from the park, This place had a great atmosphere about it that was inviting.

The presentation of the food was good but tasting the food was even much better than it looked.


We are also updating our reviews while on the road so be sure to check back often for all of our updates.

We also have many photos to share on our journey so far with many more to come.