SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. -- SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers closes the Soo Locks Visitor Center in Canal Park at 7 p.m. Oct. 31 for the 2023 season.
Visitor Center hours for the remainder of Oct. are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. The park is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily for the month of October and will transition to winter hours (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) on Nov. 1.
“The Visitor Center offered several new exhibits this summer to include a new interactive photo table, panels highlighting careers and workers at the Soo Locks and new rugs that show the existing and future Soo Locks facility,” Chief Park Ranger Michelle Briggs said. “We listen to our visitors and create exhibits that reflect their interests.”
Canal Park at the Soo Locks Park welcomed over 280,000 visitors from May 1 to Oct. 1 with over 220,000 stopping in the Visitor Center to get boat schedules, ask questions and check out the exhibits inside. Throughout the season, over 1,600 kids and 700 adults received water safety goody bags after taking the Water Safety Pledge.
The Visitor Center will reopen May 1 for the 2024 season.
Briggs and other Detroit District Park Rangers have a great line up for upcoming Virtual Visitor Center programs held the first Thursday of each month from October to April. The next presentation on Nov. 2 will feature an examination of the Edmund Fitzgerald’s career and investigations into her tragic loss. Other planned topics include Split Rock Lighthouse on Lake Superior, a history of the Duluth-Superior Harbor and several other navigation related programs. For up to date Virtual Visitor Center programs, visit: https://www.facebook.com/USACEDetroitDistrict.
All Virtual Visitor Center programs can be found on the Detroit District YouTube page at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqtbMFyAaYYO9TIAaaK2HTLr0Ph4A5FRF.
For more details, contact Detroit District Public Affairs Specialist Carrie Fox, 906-259-2841.
Release no. 23-024