VIKING OCTANTIS | Undiscovered GREAT LAKES | ITINERARY

Board your ship and meet your fellow travelers and Viking Expedition team. Get settled in, attend a briefing for the following day and take a stroll along the Lake Superior shoreline.

 Relive the region’s history at Fort William, an accurate recreation of an early 19th-century fur trading post, or hike the trails of Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, an area of tabletop mountains, sweeping vistas and towering granite cliffs. Explore the unusual natural phenomenon of Ouimet Canyon, which shelters a unique, fragile ecosystem. Then, discover the roaring Kakabeka Falls, tucked away in a pristine boreal forest setting. 

Tour Glensheen, the former estate of Gilded Age capitalist Chester Adgate Congdon. Learn about Duluth’s role in Great Lakes shipping during a visit to the SS William A. Irvin lake freighter. Or, board the North Shore Scenic Railroad for a journey along Lake Superior. Follow in the footsteps of fur traders during a paddle down the St. Louis River, or witness thousands of migrating raptors flying along the bluffs outside Duluth. 

Venture into the coniferous forest of white spruce and balsam fir that dominates the 22 islands that comprise the Apostle archipelago. Discover the dune bogs and lagoons that provide an unusually broad variety of habitats, and spot bald eagles. Explore the vaulted chambers of the ever-changing sea caves that line local shores in a kayak or learn the art of seamanship while sailing the waters between the islands.

Discover more about the area’s 7,000 years of copper mining history and descend 370 feet below the surface into the Quincy Mine to learn about life and working underground. Hike through verdant forests to admire the beautiful, cascading veils of the Hungarian Falls. At the Bete Grise Preserve, glide through the marshlands in a kayak as you observe local birdlife of the Keweenaw Peninsula. 

Pass through the Soo Locks in the St. Mary’s River, heading from Lake Huron into Lake Superior. Observe the massive gates of this ingenious feat of engineering as they close, then watch as the water flows in through the gravity-fed valves to bring your Viking Expedition ship up to the level of Lake Superior. 

Enjoy an exciting day on idyllic Mackinac Island, located in the Straits of Mackinac, which link Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. This charming island is well known as a haven for pedestrians and bicyclists; motor vehicles are banned here, and the only way to access the island is by boat. Take a sightseeing excursion by horse-drawn carriage to important historical sites. Or, choose to dine at the elegant Grand Hotel, a Victorian-era building with the world’s longest front porch. Alternatively, explore the forested shores of Mackinac Island by kayak. 

Disembark your ship and extend your exploration with three days of discovery in Chicago, featuring the Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium and Art Institute of Chicago, or return home.