Soo Locks - Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, USA

From high on the Tower of History in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, this camera looks down on the Soo Locks and the St. Marys River, with the Canadian city of the same name on the far shore.

The river drops about 21 feet (6.4 m) through rapids between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes, so ships use the locks to step up and down. The first locks opened in 1855, and today the US Army Corps of Engineers runs them, with no toll to pass.

The biggest is the Poe Lock, 1,200 feet (366 m) long and 110 feet (34 m) wide, and it's the only one that can take the giant freighters of the upper lakes. The locks close from January through March, when ice stops shipping.

Did You Know? A single freighter in the Poe Lock can carry up to 72,000 short tons of cargo.

Explore the Water collection, browse live webcams in the United States, or explore our Live Webcam Map.