Get outside, Michigan: Run for the freighters and catch a sucker
- Celebrate the return of freighters with a run and craft fair in Sault Ste. Marie
- See how many suckers you can catch in Omer
- Take advantage of opportunities to explore “the Chesapeake of the Midwest” and “coral reefs of Michigan’s forests” this week
The 2025 Great Lakes shipping season is back! In Sault Ste. Marie, they are celebrating the return of big ships to the Soo Locks with a new event on Saturday: Freighter Festival of Races.
You can pretend you are racing the freighters or just see them as spectators for your race as you run or walk along the St. Mary’s River. The event includes 5K and half marathon distances and the awards are really something. All age group winners will get a pasty decorated with a cutout of the Upper Peninsula. The two half marathon winners get pasties plus stained glass medallions of a freighter! Some winners will also get a painting of the first freighter through the locks on a piece of slate. A gold medal never looked so boring.
If that isn’t enough for you, there will also be a craft fair onsite.
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The event runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Race entry: $35-$60. Find more info and register here.
Other great ways to get your outdoor fix:
Friday:
- The Portage Lake District Library in Houghton is hosting a Hiking & Backpacking information series. Check out Backpacking Basics 201 as part of the latest installment of this fourth Thursday event. 6 p.m. Free. Details here.
- Celebrate (and catch) an abundance of suckerfish in Omer at Suckerfest 2025. Those bottom-feeders are reportedly already on the run in the Rifle River. The fishing tournament starts Friday and goes through April 6. First place prize is $1,200. The kids tournament is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 5 and includes an Easter egg hunt at noon and bounce houses all afternoon. More info here.
Saturday:
- Explore part of the 2,477 acres of Fish Point State Wildlife Area in Unionville — the “Chesapeake of the Midwest” — as part of a car caravan tour led by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Expect to see lots of ducks and geese and possibly northern harriers, bald eagles and red-shouldered hawks from your own car window or on short walks from stops along the way. You might also see lapland longspurs, redpolls and snow buntings before they head north to breed. Gather for coffee and light snacks at 8 a.m. before the tour departs at 9 a.m. More info here.
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- A two-day steelhead workshop hosted by the DNR kicks off Saturday in Cadillac. Day one consists of an indoor lecture on how to identify and catch the trout. Head outdoors on the second day to try your luck fishing on the Manistee River. The workshop costs $30 (which includes lunch), but you’ll also need a fishing license and a recreation passport. More info here.
Tuesday:
- Little Forks Conservancy is hosting a vernal pools event for all ages at 1 p.m. at the Riverview Natural Area in Midland. Those spring puddles, which provide unique breeding grounds for salamanders and frogs, are sometimes called the coral reefs of Michigan’s forests. More info here.
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