Duluth/Superior Shipwatching Tips

BoatWatchers Hotline 1-218-722-6489

Brought to you each day by the Marine Museum at Canal Park. Tells estimated times of arrivals and departures for Duluth, Superior and Two Harbors

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The Duluth Shipping News

When in Duluth, find a copy of Ken Newhams' excellent newsletter for shipwatchers! The one page, black and white sheet can be picked up free in the gift shop of the William Irvin ore boat museum, the Canal Park Museum, and elsewhere. The web version comes in color, you can email the author, and it has more info than the paper version. Both versions have a chart listing arrivals and departures that is remarkably current. Brief descriptions of many of the ships add to your viewing enjoyment. I keep old newsletters in my journal for reference.

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Canal Park in Duluth

Canal Park in Duluth
(This is where all the tourists end up!) Canal Park is at the north end of the sand bar that creates the harbor and at the south end of "The Lakewalk" the newly renovated area that makes up the entire shoreline of downtown Duluth, however, shipwatchers congregate near the Ship Museum and Lift Bridge area next to the canal. The free museum has many interesting exhibits but the most useful for shipwatchers is their up to the minute boat schedule that is displayed on TV monitors in four locations. All arrivals and departures for the day are listed as well as the expected traffic for the next day. Knowing this information allows you to partake of some of the many other activities available in the immediate area while you are waiting. This includes shopping, eating, admiring the many sculptures and fountains, carriage rides, walking to the lighthouse, using the Lakewalk to hike, bike or skate, feeding the seagulls, taking a harbor cruise, etc. Just watching the massive lift bridge in action is great fun. It lifts for many tour boats and pleasure craft as well as the lakers and salties. Car traffic here can be rather dense. There is some free parking here, but lots are often full. If you don't mind walking, there are two free public lots just down the road that are not used as heavily.

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Wisconsin Point Park in Superior

Wisconsin Point Park in Superior
Wisconsin Point is the totally wild, southern end of the sand bar that forms the harbor and is accessed from Route 53 by turning east on Moccasin Mike Road on the very southern edge of the city of Superior. As you travel highway 53 heading north, Moccasin Mike Road marks the abrupt transition from trees and swamps to city. Take this road to it's end and you will be at a small parking area next to the Superior entry. Ships can be seen loading iron ore at the docks directly to the west. After loading, the ships back out from the dock, swing around and are on the lake within minutes. Another parking area a few hundred feet to the south brings you closer to the lighthouse. The adventurous shipwatcher may wish to traverse the breakwater made of 10 ft chunks of native basalt and experience the view from the lighthouse at the distant end. It can be a hazardous journey. As you stand in either parking lot, any ship you see on the horizon that is to the right of this lighthouse, will be entering via the Superior entry and ships that are much farther to the left are heading for the Duluth entry. Seeing a ship at this entry is a matter of luck if you haven't done some research. You will not see so many ships here, but if you like an uninhabited beach, a wonderful view, waves and seagulls it's a great place to spend some time.

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Garfield Ave Observation Area

Garfield Ave Observation area
This observation area is under the Blatnik Bridge which is the one closest to the lake. If you come from the Wisconsin side of the Blatnik Bridge you will see a sign for Garfield Ave while you are still on the bridge. Just as you leave the bridge proper, exit right and make two lefts and you will be under the bridge. Coming from Minnesota, be prepared to exit to the right, on Garfield Ave BEFORE you are actually on the bridge. You will end up at a large parking lot at a boat landing. You may park there and watch from the shore or you may try an even better vantage point. Directly to the lakeside of the boat landing there is a section of an old railroad bridge that has been saved and converted into a fishing pier. If you walk to the end of it, you will be amazingly close to the ships as they pass under the bridge. There are no crowds and often ducks, geese and other wildlife in the area. Immediately to the west is a manmade island that has been turned into a nesting area for many birds and is off limits to humans. If you are alert to ship movements, you will be able to catch ships here that you missed coming in through the entries, or ones that have been in the harbor waiting their turn at the docks, or ones that are just leaving. Ships passing this area seem to always leave by the Duluth entry at Canal Park, so you have an excellent opportunity to view them TWICE if you wish as it is only a few minutes to the Canal Park viewing area. This is the only place you will see ships passing in both directions at the same time.

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Enger Tower/Skyline Drive

Enger Tower/Skyline Drive
Enger Tower is located in a wonderful park on the Skyline Drive, a scenic road that runs along the top edge of the 600 foot bluff that overlooks Duluth. From the top of the tower you get a birds eye view of a large part of the harbor. (You can actually look down on birds flying.) If your not up to climbing the tower, there is an observation gazebo in the park that is more easily accessible. Binoculars can be put to good use as you check out ships loading and unloading their cargoes. On a clear day, you can see at least 20 miles and if your sharp, ships can be seen coming over the horizon, 30 minutes before they come into port and pass under the Aerial Lift Bridge. It's also easy to observe ships maneuvering within the port as they get ready to leave. Early identification of ships seen arriving or departing allows the serious shipwatcher enough time to make their way to Canal Park for a closer look. If there is no ship activity, you can spend many pleasant hours absorbing the tranquility of the extensive rock gardens that surround the tower.

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Vista Fleet Harbor Tours


Vista Fleet Harbor Tours
Tour the harbor and out a short distance into the lake. When we took the tour, we were fortunate to pass close by an ore carrier that was being loaded with taconite, at the same moment that one of the gravity bins released its multi-ton load. With a rushing rumble that made the air quiver, the bin emptied into one of the open hatches within a few seconds. One day there were four salties at anchor offshore and the people taking the lunch cruise were treated to a trip out and around them for a real close look.
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No Shipwatching from WI Shoreline.

No Shipwatching from WI Shoreline.
Explorations of the Wisconsin shoreline have not revealed a single suitable publicly accessible location for close-up viewing. It seems that100% of the possible sites are privately owned and off limits to the casual viewer. All other areas are either too far away from the water or screened by buildings or trees. I did find a spot that had been an observation area, off highway 53 at the south edge of Superior, but the loading dock here is abandoned and the area is now being used as a boat landing for fishermen. I was especially frustrated by the lack of shipwatching facilities when, coming back from Duluth last trip, I saw a ship coming in to the Superior entry. It was so close I knew would be unable to make the circuitous journey out to Wisconsin Point in time and I frantically searched for a nearby vantage point. Even tho, from highway 53, I could see the entry canal less than a mile away, directly across the harbor, and I caught a glimpse of the ship as she arrived; and I knew where the ship was headed; and I was so close I could taste victory; I still met defeat. I may do a more thorough inspection of potential Wisconsin shipwatching sites the next time I'm in town, and not in such a hurry; but I'm not optimistic.
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