Ship watcher
Watch the big freighters pass.
Seven of the best places on the Great Lakes to see 1,000-foot lakers and ocean-going salties up close, with ships approaching each one and when they should arrive.
Live arrivals aren't available right now. Each spot below links to a live AIS ship map centered on it.
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Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Soo Locks
Lakers up to 1,000 feet long are raised or lowered 21 feet between Lake Superior and the lower lakes, close enough to talk to the crew.
- The free observation platform in Soo Locks Park puts you a few yards from the ships.
- The visitor center posts expected arrivals; upbound ships wait below the locks at the Rock Cut.
- The locks close for maintenance from mid-January to late March.
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Canal Park, Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth Ship Canal
Ships sound a long-short-long salute as they pass under the Aerial Lift Bridge, which rises 135 feet to let them through.
- Stand on the north pier by the lighthouse for the closest view, or watch from the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center.
- Departures often follow a bridge lift; listen for the horn salute.
- Ships also use the Superior entry 7 miles southeast, so not every vessel passes the bridge.
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Mackinaw City and St. Ignace, Michigan
Straits of Mackinac
Every ship moving between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron passes beneath the five-mile Mackinac Bridge.
- Mackinaw City's waterfront parks and the Old Mackinac Point lighthouse look straight across the shipping lane.
- On the north side, Bridge View Park in St. Ignace frames ships against the bridge.
- Night passages are spectacular when the bridge lights are on.
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Port Huron, Michigan, and Sarnia, Ontario
Port Huron & the Blue Water Bridge
The St. Clair River runs fast and narrow under the Blue Water Bridges, so ships pass just yards from the riverbank.
- Vantage Point and the Thomas Edison Depot Museum grounds look right onto the channel.
- The Huron Lightship and Fort Gratiot Light are steps from the river.
- Upbound ships slow against the current here, giving you a long look.
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Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario
Detroit River
The busiest stretch of the system: lakers and salties pass the Detroit and Windsor skylines on their way between Lake Huron and Lake Erie.
- The Detroit RiverWalk and Windsor's riverfront parks both face the main channel.
- The Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle overlooks the upper river.
- The J.W. Westcott II delivers mail to passing ships from its dock by the Ambassador Bridge.
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Lock 3, St. Catharines, Ontario
Welland Canal
Eight locks lift ships 326 feet around Niagara Falls between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie; Lock 3 has a viewing platform beside the chamber.
- The Lock 3 platform at the St. Catharines Museum is the classic view, with arrival times posted.
- The Flight Locks (4, 5 and 6) in Thorold lift ships up the Niagara Escarpment in sequence.
- The canal closes from late December to late March.
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Alexandria Bay and Clayton, New York
Thousand Islands
Ocean-going salties and lakers thread the St. Lawrence Seaway between granite islands and summer cottages.
- The channel passes close to Alexandria Bay's waterfront and Boldt Castle on Heart Island.
- Clayton's riverfront and the Antique Boat Museum have open views of the shipping lane.
- The Seaway closes from late December to late March.
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Freighter watching questions.
- Where is the best place to watch freighters on the Great Lakes?
- The Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, are the classic spot: the free viewing platform puts you a few yards from 1,000-foot lakers as they are raised or lowered between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. Duluth's Aerial Lift Bridge, the St. Clair River at Port Huron, the Detroit River and the Welland Canal are close behind.
- When is shipping season on the Great Lakes?
- From late March, when the Soo Locks reopen, until mid-January. The St. Lawrence Seaway and the Welland Canal close a little earlier, around the end of December. Summer brings the most traffic, but the last runs of December and the first ships of spring draw crowds of their own.
- How do I know when a ship is coming?
- When live data is available, this page shows ships heading toward each spot and when they should arrive, based on their AIS position, course and speed. You can also check a live AIS map such as MarineTraffic or VesselFinder, BoatNerd's passage reports, or the arrival boards at the Soo Locks Visitor Center and Duluth's maritime visitor center.
- What is a laker?
- A laker is a freighter built for the Great Lakes, too long and wide to fit through the St. Lawrence Seaway to the ocean. The biggest, such as the 1,013-foot Paul R. Tregurtha, carry iron ore, coal, stone and grain. Ocean-going ships that do come through the Seaway are called salties.
Ship positions come from AIS transponder broadcasts and may be delayed or incomplete; arrival times assume a ship holds its current course and speed. Live maps: MarineTraffic and VesselFinder. Passage reports: BoatNerd.
More planning tools: northern lights forecast, water temperatures, ferry or drive calculator and the trip builder.