SAULT STE MARIE ELKS, SAULT STE MARIE, MICHIGAN (UPPER PENINSULA)

Our Opinion: Rave.  What a view!

Date of Stay: July 21 through July 25, 2010.

Weather During Stay: Some sunshine, morning fog, a shower now and then.  Highs in the 70‘s, lows in the 60‘s.

Sites: Just four sites, one with 30 amps, one with 50 amps, and two with 30/50 amps.  All four sites have water and cable TV.  All are suitable for big rigs, with room for slides and awnings.  Each site has a wooden picnic table.  No sewer connection and no on-site dump station.

Sites are on a small peninsula in the St. Mary’s River, the waterway between Lake Huron and Lake Superior.  The short dirt road to the sites is potholed and rough.  Sites are sloped and very bumpy, but large enough to find a fairly flat area for parking.  We needed a board or two to supplement our jacks in the leveling effort.  Lots of Canada Goose poop in the long grass of the sites.  All worth it because of the fantastic view!

Rate: $22 for electricity and water, cable TV and WiFi. 

Phone/radio/TV: Strong Verizon phones and aircard signal.  No obstructions to block TV satellite.  Lots of cable TV stations, so we didn’t check antenna reception.  Didn’t use the WiFi, but our neighbor reported a strong signal from the lodge.  Local NPR on 98.3 FM.

Elevation/Landscape/Terrain: Large bumpy, grass and dirt field at water’s edge.  Elevation around 600 ft.  Views are of the wide St. Mary’s River between the U. S. and Canada, the HUGE freighters using the Soo Locks to travel between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, and the lights of Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, Canada across the water.  Spectacular!

Lighting/Noise: Dark and quiet.

Favorite Sites: Site 1 has no neighboring rigs on the water side, but has just 30 amps.  Sites 2-4 all have 50 amps, so were best for us.  All sites have fantastic views up the river and to the Canadian side of the river.

Hiking/Walking: A sidewalk begins at the Elks Lodge and goes all the way west into downtown and the fascinating Soo Locks, just under two miles. 

Comments: The view here is so fabulous and fun, with HUGE (600 - 1000 ft) freighters passing by at regular intervals.  We walked to the locks to see them in operation.  The Elks Lodge is active and appealing, with a wonderful outdoor patio and bar with a view.  Golf course nearby.  Dump at the city RV park less than ½ mile away.  According to the lodge, non-Elks can use the RV sites here, but Elks have priority.  I don’t know how that plays out…