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Great Lakes Ferries

Note: I started this page in 1995, maybe earlier. That's decades ago in internet time. I've added and updated the information as I come across it but some of it may be out of date or just plain wrong. Please verify the information with the ferry company before making plans.

Michigan-based



Name: Lake Michigan Car Ferry
Location: Ludington, MI to Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Phone: 1-888-FERRY-4-U
Cost: (One way) Auto: $46, Adults: $38, Children (5-15): $17
Time: 4 Hours
Schedule: Spring: Departs Ludington 8:30 am
Summer: Departs Ludington 7:30 am, 7:45 pm
Fall: Departs Ludington 8:30 am
Ship(s): S.S. Badger, 410 feet long, 4.244 gross tons

Name: Arnold Mackinac Island Ferry
Location: Mackinaw City, MI - Mackinac Island, St. Ignace - Mackinac Island
Phone: (800) 542-8528
(906) 847-3351
FAX: (906) 847-3892
Cost: (Round trip) Adults: $13.50 Children (Ages 5-13): $7.00 Free under 5
Time: 35 minutes each way from Mackinaw City, 20 minutes from St. Ignace

Name: Beaver Island Boat Company
Location: Charlevoix, MI - Beaver Island
Phone: (616) 547-2311
Cost: One Way; Car: $52, Adults: $18, Children (5-12): $9.25
Round Trip; Car: $104, Adults: $31, Children (5-12): $15.50

Time: 2.5 hours each way
Ship(s): The Emerald Isle: The new Beaver Island Ferry
Name: Bois Blanc Island Ferry
Location: Cheboyan, MI - Bois Blanc
Phone: (616) 627-2354
Cost:
Time:

Name: Drummond Island Ferry
Location: De Tour, MI - Drummond Island
Phone: (906) 495-5656
Cost:
Time: 10 minutes Schedule

Name: Isle Royale Lines Ferry Service
Location: Copper Harbor, MI - Isle Royale
Phone: (906) 289-4437
FAX: (906) 289-4952
Cost: 1998 rates; (One way) Adults: $40, Children (1-12): $20
Time: 4.5 hours each way Schedule
Ship(s): Isle Royale Queen


Name: National Park Service
Location: Houghton, MI - Isle Royale
Phone:
Cost:
Time: 4 Hours
Schedule:
Ship(s): Ranger III

Thomas Wells (Sailing_Fool@msn.com) writes: I did much of my growing up in the Soo in the late '40's and early '50's, and often rode the Straits of Mackinac car ferries which were operated by the State of Michigan until the bridge was finished. I have been scouring the web for info or pictures on these old boats....I assume most were scrapped, but I think at least one may still be in service somewhere in the world. That would be the newest, which was named the VACATIONLAND. The five ferries in the fleet when the bridge was completed were:

VACATIONLAND
CITY OF PETOSKEY
CITY OF MUNISING
CITY OF CHEBOYGAN
STRAITS OF MACKINAC

Any information, image files, etc. which can be found would be greatly appreciated


Name: Manitou Island Transit
Location: Leland, MI - South and North Manitou Island
Phone: (231) 256-9061
Cost: Round Trip; Adults: $20, Children (12 & under): $13
Time: South Manitou Island: 1.5 hours each way. 5 hours on island.
Check-in 9:15, leave 10am, arrive back from island 6pm
Reservations strongly recommended!!

Name: Pictured Rocks Boat Cruises
Location: Pictured Rocks, MI
Phone: (906) 387-2379
Cost:
Time: 3 hour narrated boat tour on Lake Superior

Ohio-based Ferries


Name: Arawanna Star
Location: Toledo, OH
Phone: (419) 246-2628
Cost:
Time: Narrated sightseeing cruises on Maumee River

Name: Cedar Point Ferry
Location: Sandusky, OH
Phone: (419) 627-0198
Cost:
Time:

Name: Goodtime II
Location: Cleveland, OH
Phone: (216) 861-5110
Cost:
Time: Sight-seeing cruises across Cuyahogo River and Lake Erie

Name: Miller Boat Line
Location: Put-In-Bay, OH to Catawba and Middle Bass Islands
Phone: (800) 500-2421
Time: 18 minutes

Cost: Cars & Vans: $10.00, Adults (12 and up): $5.00, Children (6-11): $2.00, Children under 6: Free, Bikes: $2.00
Schedule: Spring, Fall: Aprox. Hourly from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
Summer: Every half hour from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm

Name: Miss Majestic
Location: Lorain, OH
Phone: (216) 244-2621
Cost:
Time: River and Lake cruises

Name: Monticello II
Location: Coshocton, OH
Phone: (614) 622-7528
Cost:
Time: Horse-drawn trips along historic Ohio-Erie Canal

Name: MV Pelee Islander
Location: Sandusky, OH - Pelee Island, Ont - Leamington, Ont or Kingsville, Ont
Phone: (419) 625-4494
Cost:
Time:
Ship(s): The Jiimaan, The Pelee Islander (images courtesy of Victor R. Volkman)
Web Site: Welcome to Pelee Island

The Pelee Island Ferry is not a "dinky" ferry, as you call it, because it goes across Lake Erie. Sandusky, Ohio is the US terminus and Leamington and Kingsville, Ontario (Whether it stops at Leamington or Kingsville depends on which day of the week.) are the Canadian terminuses. The ferry stops at Pelee Island on the way to and from Leamington or Kingsville.

Shawn Trueman

~From: leetoon@aol.com (LeeToon)

Two Pelee Island ferries stop at Sandusky: The new Jiimaan stops about noon during the summer and leaves at 1 p.m. and the Pelee Islander (smaller and been doing it for years) stops in about 8 p.m. or so and, this time of year, stays the night and leaves early in the A.m. for Pelee.

Jiimaan handles the Sandusky/Pelee/Leamington/return route and the Pelee Islander: Pelee/Sandusky. Don't know what happened to the "Upper Canada" which used to do the Pelee/Kingsville route. The Jiimaan is BIG. Although the Pelee is its older sister by many a year, the Jiimaan looks like the box the Pelee came in.

Don Lee
Sandusky, Ohio

From brianto@interlog.com (John Davy)

I was reading your site on the Pelee Island ferries. A Don Lee from Sandusky asked what happened to the "Upper Canada". It is presently on loan to the Christian Island indian band on Lake Huron. It is used for passenger/car service between Ontario mainland and Christian Island. I believe the loan is a longterm rental agreement. More information is available from the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission at: www.ontc.on.ca.


Ontario-based Ferries


Name: The Ongiara, the Maple Leaf and others, operated by the Metro Toronto Parks Commission
Location: Downtown Toronto to Toronto Islands
Phone:
Cost: $4.00 CDN / $2.50 USD
Time:

Name: Shaker Cruise Lines
Location: Toronto, St. Catharines at Port Dalhousie, Niagara-On-The-Lake
Phone: Niagara Region (905) 934-2375, Toronto (416) 364-3938
Outside 416 Area Code 1-888-842-5253
Cost:

Web Site: Niagara's Transportation Center: Shaker Cruise Lines

Name: M.V. Chi-Cheemaun
Location: Tobermory to South Baymouth on Manitoulin Island
Phone: Owen Sound Transportation Company (519) 376-6601
Tobermory Terminal (519) 596-2510
South Baymouth Terminal (705) 859-3161
Cost: One way: Auto $24.50, Adult $11.20, Children 5.60
Web Site: The Big Canoe

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Tony Wesley
Please email updates to: tony@tonywesley.com
Last Updated: June 20, 2000

URL: http://tonywesley.com/gl_ferry.html