From Great Lakes Wiki
Location: The St. Mary's River in Goetzville, Michigan
Rating:10
There is a small window of opportunity in which to visit the St. Mary's River. You've got to time your vacation between the late snows of spring, and the early storms of winter. I've found that the best time to visit is sometime between July and August. The days may be warm, but the nights can get chilly. So bring your sweatshirt and jeans, because you'll want to brave the chill to catch the Northern Lights, and countless stars.
Goetzville is about a half hour drive from anything, so I'm not going to lie, unless you're into catching 36 inch muskie, giant pike and a mess of perch and walleye, you better bring something to read. But if you love big fish and lots of them, the St. Mary's River is where you can find them.
My family stays in our cabin, but there are cabins you can rent. You do have to bring up your own boat, but there's a slip where you can put your boat in the river. My favorite place to eat, the only place to eat really...is the "Raber Bay Bar." They'll clean and fry up your catch for you, which makes for a great dinner after a long day on the river.
If you feel like you need a break from fishing the Soo Locks are about a half hours drive away. There's also a public pier in Goetzville which looks across the St. Mary's where you can watch the freighters. You can visit Drummond Island, and Lime Island which has a historical village and a ton of lighthouses. And if you're into gambling there are tons of tiny casinos-and I mean tiny...they're about the size of a 7/11.
St. Mary's may not be the most exciting place if you're not into fishing, but for those who want to write some big fish stories, and spend time away from civilzation it is a great recreation destination.
