You Don’t Need a Boat to Enjoy the Lake’s Marinas and Safe Harbors

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Lake Superior marinas and safe harbors often serve as on-land gathering spots for boat-using people, a place to greet and often entertain family and friends after a day of work (or play) on the water.

What public marinas and safe harbors also do is provide access to the Lake and beautiful boat-infused views for those traveling by land. Big or small, right downtown or out in the middle of nowhere, marinas and small-boat harbors can be fascinating even for those without boats. There are some rules of politeness and good sense for visitors, of course, and when visiting private marinas especially, you should first inquire if outside visitors are welcome.

That said, some of the larger marinas cater to everyone with parks, restaurants, lodging and shopping. And, of course, boats to see.

Marinas are dock facilities where private owners moor boats. Boat owners pay for the space, and marinas usually offer a variety of services, including restrooms and showers, electricity, pumpout, fuel, Wi-Fi service, storage, repairs and more amenities. Marinas can be owned publicly (by the DNR, the city or county) or by a private company.

Harbors of refuge or safe harbors, as they are called, usually are publicly funded sites that might simply allow a secure place for small craft to hold up when a storm arises on the Lake or may provide more amenities for boaters and non-boaters.

What a marina or safe harbor has to offer really depends on the place itself. We mention just a few here.

Barker’s Island Marina in Superior is owned by the city and managed by SI Marine Management as a private marina. It isn’t a direct lakefront marina, but it sees plenty of visitors coming to view the boats, according to manager Eric Thomas.

“You can walk the length of the marina and see more boats than you’ll need,” he jokes.

While docks are restricted to boat clients and guests, there are plenty of open sidewalks for boat-gazing visitors.

Adjacent to the marina you’ll find Barker’s Island Inn, a hotel with a restaurant and lounge, a gift shop, patio and lots of green space. For public use, the city’s boat launch ramp is adjacent to the marina guest dock.

Being a private marina doesn’t always mean being closed to visitors.

Buck’s Marina in Wawa, Ontario, has a picnic shelter and playground for those without boats. A full-service marina at the junction of the Michipicoten and Magpie rivers, Buck’s also offers charter fishing and boat rentals. It’s near a beautiful falls.

In Wisconsin, Cornucopia is home to two adjacent marinas – the Siskiwit Bay Marina and the Town of Bell Marina. Visitors won’t know where one stops and the other begins.

There’s a lot to explore at the  lakefront – from the park and its toe-dipping sand beach and playground to the Green Shed Museum, Halvorson’s Fisheries and the boardwalk businesses like Good Earth Outfitters and several shops.

“If you think about the Circle Tour, the stopping points are the harbors,” says Michael Garnich, whose Good Earth Outfitters offers Apostle Islands and Mainland Sea Caves boat tours that depart from his gift shop. “You don’t stop in town – you stop at the harbor. Virtually every harbor is a parklike setting.”

Harbors and marinas around the Lake indeed often have natural settings; some seem to be as much green space as water. Many – like Michigan’s Cinder Pond Marina in Marquette and Ontonagon Village Marina – feature real parks with playgrounds, grills and picnic tables. Near the Burt Township Marina in Grand Marais, Michigan, is a large, new playground and picnic area.

Silver Bay Marina on Minnesota’s North Shore offers a public gazebo and picnic area overlooking the large marina. The upper level of an administrative building has restrooms, a meeting space and observation deck. Closer to the boat launch are more picnic areas with grills.

The marina at Knife River, Minnesota, has a public beach right next door, though the marina itself remains mainly for boaters, says Dave Gould, harbor master at Knife River Marina. “People wander in off the highway, curious about the marina, but it’s out of the way a bit, more secluded.”

Occasionally beachgoers will venture onto the privately owned boats in the marina, he adds. This is not allowed at any marina and is a true breach of etiquette (like walking into a private home uninvited).

But there is plenty to do right by the marina, for boaters or landlubbers.

The public beach is great for agate hunting, plus both Russ Kendall’s Smokehouse, the Lighthouse at Emily’s restaurant and Great! Lakes Candy Kitchen (homemade chocolates) are a short distance from the marina.

Unlike marinas with full-service options, small boat or “safe” harbors are protected shore places deep enough to accommodate and provide safety for boaters from storms. They usually don’t have many services, but can be beautiful spots to stroll. Along the North Shore Scenic Drive (old Highway 61) a few miles northeast of Duluth is one of the smallest such harbors, McQuade Small Craft Harbor. It is primarily a boat launch and safe harbor for powerboats, sailboats and kayaks. Road travelers also can stop to stretch their legs there.

Depending on when you visit, there may not be many boats to see, but you may join lots of people walking out on the breakwater wall for the closer view of the Lake. This great roadside stop at the safe harbor offers public restrooms, parking, a pet exercise area, wheelchair-accessible paths and a pedestrian tunnel under Highway 61 to the lakefront. There’s also an accessible fishing platform on the east breakwater.

A kiosk beside park benches offers information about the area, and on the other side of North Shore Scenic Drive, you’ll find the Clearwater Grille & Event Center.

For travelers who like out-of-the-way spots, the new Lac La Belle State Dock at the northern end of the Keweenaw Peninsula is worth the trip. The dock is small, but there’s a lot to do nearby besides boatwatching. There’s kayaking in Lac La Belle and Lake Superior, local beer on tap at Bear Belly Bar and Grill, hiking at Mount Bohemia and the chance to see a waterfall or two.

All major Lake Superior cities and many smaller ones have marinas, and it’s often just a short jaunt from the boats to downtown attractions. While Lakehead Boat Basin and Harbor Cove Marina on Duluth’s Park Point do not encourage public traffic, they do have ways for the non-boating public to enjoy their space. Lakehead Boat Basin rents RV parking spaces. Another block down Minnesota Avenue, the relatively new Park Point Marina Inn sits just 50 feet from the water and overlooks the power and sailboats of Harbor Cove Marina. Both are within walking distance of sand beaches and the restaurants and shops just over the Aerial Lift Bridge in Canal Park.

Another example is George Kemp Marina in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, which is within walking distance of restaurants, shops and other attractions such as parks, beaches and playgrounds. The 121-slip Ashland Marina in Wisconsin close to the Chequamegon Hotel has road access and a dock attendant.

Many marinas combine with camping options. The public Nipigon Marina in Ontario offers overnight RV and regular camping sites with showers, ice, liquor store, laundry and groceries on site, as well as services for boaters. At the Saxon Harbor Marina in Wisconsin there is camping as well as public access for picnic tables, grills and beachfront strolls.

The Legendary Waters Resort and Casino in Red Cliff, Wisconsin, connects its 31-slip marina to its casino, event center, hotel, restaurant and camping. Restaurant goers can see the boats and Lake outside.

Grand Marais, Minnesota, combines its marina with a campground. Campers at Grand Marais Campground and Marina can pitch tents or plug in RVs at 300 sites alongside the forest, beaches, a softball field, a playground and, of course, the marina boats and Lake Superior.

While many boatwatchers come to the Lake to view the massive freighters, the local trawlers, sailboats and powerboats also give visitors plenty to appreciate and admire. Popular marinas, like the Apostle Islands Marina on Bayfield’s waterfront, offer magnificent views of the Lake and small craft. A “field” of sailboat masts can be truly impressive.

One fun aspect of hanging out by boats might be getting to know some boaters. Bayfield resident Mary Dougherty lived on a boat for eight summers with her husband, Ted, five young children and dogs, spending a lot of time dockside at Apostle Islands Marina. She knows the welcoming harbor culture inside and out.

“It looks glamorous to an outsider because they don’t know about the hours spent in the bilge dealing with a cranky generator, a clogged head because your toddler put a bar of soap in it or trying to land a boat in an unfamiliar marina in the dark with an overly cautious wife who doesn't like to jump onto the dock. I think the reason boaters are such a tight club is that it’s a group where we all speak the same language, and it is one, even with all the baloney, that values freedom and sailing away.

“Even though,” she adds, “it seemed like most boats never left the dock!”

Good to Know

Here are good websites for finding marinas and safe harbors:

Minnesota: dnr.state.mn.us/water_access

Wisconsin: dnr.wi.gov/topic/lands/boataccess/

Michigan: michigan.gov/dnr

Ontario: lakesuperiorboating.com

All: Bonnie Dahl’s Superior Way Fourth Edition, a comprehensive “bible” for Lake Superior boaters, lists most all marinas and safe harbors.

7 Tips for Marina Trips

Visiting a private marina and walking around the docks where the boats are tied is like being in a residential neighborhood. Cautious and courteous behavior is in order, and here are seven tips to help you be a good neighbor at the marina.

  1. Understand where visitors may park. The spaces at the dock or directly in front of a boat are usually reserved for owners. Do not park near the launching area.
  2. Never board a boat without permission.
  3. Assess whether you may go on a dock. Usually the area where the boat is tied is considered private and it is inappropriate to walk there without invitation.
  4. Loud voices and noise are not welcome at any time near boats, plus sound travels across water.
  5. Be attentive; do not step on (or trip over!) lines or power cords. NEVER unplug a power cord.
  6. Stand well back of the dock if a boat is coming in and do not attempt assistance unless asked.
  7. Keep children and pets under control and clean up after same. Be careful that no one falls into the water; it is not easy to get back up onto the dock or the breakwater.     

Duluth writer/blogger Felicia Schneiderhan is an outdoors-oriented mom raising three active children with her husband, Mark.