Soo Locks Visitor Center Now Closed for Season

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI – Nearly 196,000 people visited the Soo Locks Visitor Center the six months it was open from May 1 to Oct. 31. The center is located inside the Soo Locks Canal Park off Portage Avenue. While this number is down about 39,000 from last year, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chief Park Ranger Michelle Briggs says the six-month season was still a success. Brigg’s staff of five park rangers were kept busy providing many services.

“Rangers administered the water safety pledge to 1,735 people as of Sept. 30. People who took the pledge, who promised to be safe around the water, received water safety goody bags. Rangers also provided more than twenty talks for scheduled tour groups and for all visitors during lulls between ships.

In addition, Rangers also lead activities for nine school groups on field trips to the Soo Locks which included water safety themed activities for younger children and shipping related activities for older elementary school children,” Briggs stated.

Through September, Briggs also stated volunteers at the Visitor Center contributed more than 700 hours of their time helping with special events, working on the flower beds and answering visitor questions in the observation platform. Many took advantage of the remarkable mild autumn weather Saturday and witnessed several freighters pass through the Soo Locks, but also had the opportunity one last time to experience the extensive amount of information inside the Visitor Center.

Park Rangers made themselves available to answer questions throughout the day with visitors able to check out many exhibits. Ed Cook, who is in his third year as a park ranger, was working the final day Saturday. Cook is a life-long Sault Ste. Marie resident and has always loved the freighters.

Before this current park ranger position, he owned a grocery store/meat market. While at that profession, he talked to a lot of people which prepared him to converse with the tens of thousands of visitors each year.

“I didn’t know as much as I thought I knew when I got a job here because there’s so much more to the Soo Locks than I ever realized. It’s amazing how often people tell me they came here with no expectations, it was just something to knock off their bucket list and when they come here and experience it, how it excited they are to learn about it and how amazed they are about how important the Soo Locks are,” Cook said.

While the Soo Locks Visitor Center is closed until May 1, 2027, Soo Locks Canal Park remains open all year round.

SooLeader – Jim Lehocky