Heading to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Any tips on what to see there?

The Mrs. and I have gotten rather jaded about Lake Michigan, especially with me having lived on its shoreline for nearly 66 years now. As a result, we’re taking a trip to Lake Superior for a change of pace. We’ll visit a few choice spots in the UP of MI, particularly Grand Marais, Vermilion, and we’ll revisit the Whitefish Point Shipwreck museum for good measure.

But then we head across the border to Sault Ste. Marie on the Canadian side. (we’ve done the MI side before). We’ve a few sites we plan to see, such as the Canadian side of the Soo locks, with its historical exhibits and trails along the St. Mary’s river. We plan to visit the Lake Superior Provincial park too.

Any recommendations for other places on the Canadian side? We’ll be there only about two days.

Part of the reason we’re going is because my favorite yogurt is no longer available in the US. Liberté is made in Canada and still available there. I love their ‘full fat’ variety, 10%! We’ll stock up.

I liked the bush plane museum. I also enjoyed the locks and trails on Whitefish Island but you already know about those.

Brian

Ooh! Great idea, thanks!

Years ago I enjoyed the day long Agawa Canyon train excursion, which still seems to be running

I’ve been all over the northern shore of the UP during many camping trips, but unfortunately not as far east as the Soo. I’ve been to Grand Marais many times-- I used to camp a lot in an area called Blind Sucker, a wilderness surrounding a huge flood plain just inland from Superior and 15 miles east of Grand Marais. It was the closest place to replenish supplies. Pretty little town.

Since you’re only asking about Sault Ste. Marie on the Canadian side, I won’t go into detail about anything else unless you want to know, but if you are interested, I can recommend some stuff on the north side of the UP between Wisconsin and Grand Marais.

I rode it back when it was the Algoma Central and it was a great ride. I’d do it again for sure.

We did consider this, but it does seem to take an entire day, with not a lot of time for hiking once you arrive in the canyon. We’re no longer speedy walkers, as the Mrs. is getting a knee replaced next month, and I’ve developed a nasty sciatica. We’re slow slow slow now.

But I’d love to hear about your canyon trip experience!

We’ve spent a lot of time exploring Superior’s southern shore, from Cornucopia to Munising (though we never made it to Marquette), but I’d enjoy hearing what you’d recommend that we may have missed.

Hmm, that’s the general area I know best too, from Porcupine Mtns. to Grand Marais, and I’ve been to Paradise and Whitefish Point as well.

Since you missed Marquette…there’s a Bed & Breakfast in the Big Bay lighthouse, just northwest of Marquette. Over 20 years ago Mrs. solost and I spent a couple nights there during the winter-- had a very nice time. Amazing view of Superior, of course. There’s a steam sauna in the lighthouse tower. The owners at the time were cool-- at breakfast they told an amusing anecdote about a European couple who stayed there (I’m thinking from Germany?). They were used to being able to traverse their much smaller country in a short time. They said they were planning to drive down to Disneyworld and back on a day trip :smirk:

Since you’ve been as far east as Munising, and plan to visit Grand Marais, I assume you’re going to visit some part of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, if you haven’t already? That’s not to be missed. We did a family trip to Munising about 8 years ago, when the kids were young. Did a Pictured Rocks boat tour which was a great way to see the shoreline, and it gives me another excuse to post the pic below. I wish I had been one of those kayakers under the arch that day!

I know you said you’ve been to Munising, but in case you haven’t done either of these and might have interest-- we also did a glass-bottomed shipwreck boat tour and a tour of Grand Island on our Munising trip, both of which were very cool. Grand Island has some interesting history-- it used to be owned by a robber baron who had his own hunting preserve.

Since you’re going to Vermilion and Whitefish Point, Tahquamenon Falls is not too far south of there, and well worth a side trip.

My Pictured Rocks pic:

Awesome info! I love the Big Bay lighthouse idea for a future trip.

We’ve spent quality time at Pictured Rocks; my eldest daughter and I even snorkeled out to the sea caves by Miner’s Castle, taking off from Miner’s Beach. THAT was memorable! We got to wave to the passing tour boats. The water was in the relatively pleasant mid 60’s, which we were used to swimming in. But we never got much further east than Miner’s Beach, so the Mrs. and I want to make up for it.

Might have to do the shipwreck cruise sometime, along with the Grand Isle tour, those sound fun.

We have visited Tahquamenon Falls before, and plan to do so on this trip too. But I really want to hit Vermilion; we missed it on our last trip there.

We’ve spent time on Keweenaw before too, including an incredible drive to the peninsula’s tip to see the old NASA rocket launch site there. That area’s a fantastic dark zone at night also. I do so love the UP, & the Porkies are sooooo amazing. We even rented the cabin on Lake of the Clouds for 3 nights, decades ago.

We’d hoped to do the Superior Circle tour, but decided to do that after my wife has a working knee again and we can do some longer hikes. We were able to do the Sea Cave trail in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore a few years back, but that was our last hike of any real distance.

I visited their website! I’ve flown in a couple of those types of planes!! I am now super psyched to visit them.

Thanks, I will file that away as something I’d love to try on a future trip! Assuming I’m still in good enough shape by then to handle the exertion of snorkeling in Lake Superior…

Yeah, I didn’t mention the Porkies or Keweenaw since I assumed you’d been there, but those are definitely two of the most (or the two most) amazingly scenic areas in all of the UP. Had some great times up there.

10 miles south of Whitefish Point is Paradise. In Paradise is Brown Fisheries Fish House.

It’s not fancy, and if you arrive too late - after they run out of the day’s catch - you may find them closed.

But I cite their fish and chips as the best I’ve ever had.

mmm

I had a mixed experience with the train trip. As you note, it was a lot of train travel (and the return trip is the same scenery as the trip there) with a relatively short amount of sightseeing in the middle.

I liked visiting the locks, but we didn’t find much else to see in the city proper.

I do love fresh Lake Superior fish. We’ll have to see if we are there at the right time. Thanks!

So noted, that confirms our decision to not do the canyon train trip this time around. Thanks.

Right now we’re thinking of spending time in Sault Ste. ON at the bush plane museum, exploring Whitefish island by the Canadian side of the locks, maybe checking out a fish fry at Chummy’s grill, and maybe watching a sunset at Gros Cap bluffs. Then buying 10% milkfat Liberté yogurt. ;-D

Wife and I went to the UP for our honeymoon in 1996. Spent the night in Grand Marais and did the Pictured Rocks boat ride.

Beautiful area. I want to go back.

I’ve driven through Sault Ste. Marie, ON many times on my way to Massey, ON. I always stop by the Walmart there to pick up food. TBH, it’s always looked like a rather depressing town to me. But perhaps I’m not giving it a fair shake. Would like to know more about things to see and do there.

Well, John Riordan, a founding member of the Industrial Workers of the World in 1905, was born there…

Life in any such northern remote town has its seedy side, for sure. But it seems to offer some nice stuff, and offers more varied cuisine than the US side does. We enjoyed Sault Ste. Marie MI side a lot, especially the locks and the Valley Camp ore boat which is now a museum, but we ran out of things to do quickly after that (once we dined on planked whitefish there, that is). Now I want some decent poutine on this trip too.

But yeah, Pictured Rocks is awesome! as is Apostle Islands. Such treasures so near. One day we’ll get to Isle Royale, too.

Well, I did enjoy it but I agree the stop at the canyon was relatively brief.I went for one of the longer marked walks and gained quite a bit of height and a longer view but most people seemed content to stroll about fairly near the train and cafe, etc. until it was departure time.
I did sit on the opposite side though - so it was different trees to see going back!
Sounds like it may not have changed much since I was there back in the 90’s.

I was there 3 nights, I think, maybe 4, and filled my time well enough but any longer would have seemed too long.