Soo Locks Ship Schedule and Navigation Guide

The Soo Locks are a marvel of engineering, and navigating them requires some planning. The locks are open 24/7, but the schedule can change due to weather conditions or maintenance.

The Soo Locks are a set of three locks that allow ships to pass between Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes. The locks are located in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and are owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Ships typically take around 10-15 minutes to pass through each lock, with a maximum wait time of 30 minutes. The locks can handle ships up to 1,000 feet long and 105 feet wide.

If you're planning to watch the ships pass through the locks, the best viewing spot is at the Soo Locks Visitor Center, which offers free admission and stunning views of the locks in action.

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The Soo Locks are a remarkable feat of engineering that allows vessels of many types and sizes to traverse the 21-foot drop in elevation of the St. Marys River between Lake Superior and lakes Michigan and Huron.

Located in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, the locks consist of two canals and four locks that enable ships to travel between the two lake levels. Ships heading towards Lake Huron enter from Lake Superior and, once the doors are closed, water drains out through pipes and drops the ship to the lower lake level.

From the viewing decks alongside the locks, you can watch ships as they travel the seaway between ports and navigate the rise and drop of the water levels.

You can check the Soo Locks ship schedule by calling the hotline at 906-253-9290, which provides estimated upbound and downbound vessel arrival times from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The hotline is a great resource for ship watchers, especially since it's back in operation after a brief hiatus. You can also use Marinetraffic.com to see real-time maps of Great Lakes shipping traffic, including the ability to click on ships to see their names, destinations, speeds, and more.

About 7,000 vessels hauling around 86 million tons of cargo pass through the Soo Locks annually, with around 85% of them using the 1,200-foot Poe Lock, which was built in 1968.

The Soo Locks feature two canals and four locks. These locks are a marvel of engineering, allowing vessels of various types and sizes to navigate the 21-foot drop in elevation between Lake Superior and lakes Michigan and Huron.

Ships heading up the St. Marys River enter the locks from the lower end, and massive doors are closed behind them.

Water flows in through pipes from the Lake Superior side to fill the locks and raise the ships to the lake level.

The Soo Locks are a vital waterway connecting Lake Superior and Lake Huron on the St. Marys River between Michigan and Ontario, Canada. They were built in 1855 and are operated and maintained by the USA's Army Corps of Engineers.

The locks allow large ships to bypass the river's rapids and waterfalls, which have heights of up to 21 feet. This is especially important for safe navigation.

The Soo Locks have an impressive average annual traffic of around 10,000 vessels. They're a crucial part of the Great Lakes shipping operations.

However, the waterway is effectively closed from January to March each year due to ice that shuts down shipping operations. This is a common occurrence in the region.

The Soo Locks are parallel locks, and a separate railroad bridge crosses the river just upstream. The Sault Ste Marie Bridge, which connects the two cities of the same name, is a major road crossing and has a daily traffic of around 7,000 vehicles.

Ship watchers can now call the Soo Locks Boat Schedule Hotline for estimated vessel arrival times between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. The hotline is back in operation after a collaboration between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Soo Locks Visitor Center Association.

The hotline number is 906-253-9290.

The Soo Locks accommodate freighters more than 1,000 feet long.

About 7,000 vessels hauling about 86 million tons of cargo pass through the locks annually.

The 1,200-foot Poe Lock, built in 1968, is used by about 85% of the vessels.

The Soo Locks are a vital waterway connecting Lake Superior and Lake Huron, allowing safe navigation for large ships by bypassing the river's rapids and waterfalls.

The locks' average annual traffic is around 10,000 vessels, with the waterway effectively closed in January-March each year due to ice that shuts down the Great Lakes' shipping operations.

You can watch Great Lakes shipping traffic in real-time on Marinetraffic.com, which includes the ability to click on Great Lakes ships to see their names, destinations, speeds and more.

The Soo Locks are operated and maintained by the USA's Army Corps of Engineers (Detroit District), who also manage the Sault Ste Marie Bridge, a 2.8-mile long bridge that connects the same-named cities in Michigan and Ontario.

The bridge has an average daily traffic of 7,000 vehicles and is ranked the 10th-busiest road for USA-Canada border crossing.

The Soo Locks ship schedule is a complex system, but understanding the basics can help you plan your trip.

The Soo Locks are a set of locks on the Great Lakes, specifically on the St. Marys River.

To track ship movements, BoatNerd provides a vessel passage report that lists various details about each ship.

The report includes the vessel's information, direction, location, and passage destination.

The passage destination ETA, or estimated time of arrival, is also listed, which can be helpful for planning.

Each ship carries a specific cargo, which can range from iron ore to coal.