Just across the International Bridge lies the Soo’s sister city in Ontario, also named Sault Ste. Marie. With a population of 74,600, it’s the larger of the two cities, home to a huge steel plant and paper company. But along with these industries, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, also has a lot to offer visitors.

Downtown, a lovely boardwalk rambles along the river for a mile or so, beginning at the bridge and extending east past fishing platforms, shops, and the MS Norgoma, the last passenger cruise ship built for the Great Lakes, now a museum. On Wednesday and Saturday, there’s a farmers market near the tented pavilion.

One of the most popular visitor attractions is the Agawa Canyon Train Tour (129 Bay St., 800/242-9287, www.agawacanyontourtrain.com, times vary, $65 adults, $56 seniors, $25 children 5–18, $20 children under 5), a seven-hour round-trip through the scenic wooded gorge of the Agawa Canyon. The daylong tour includes a two-hour stopover in the canyon, where you can hike to lookouts, visit waterfalls, wander along the river, or just hang out in the grassy picnic area.

The train trip is even more popular in the fall color season, which usually runs mid-September–mid-October, and in winter when it is known as the “Snow Train” (and during which the two-hour layover is eliminated).

Getting to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Reach Ontario via the three-mile-long International Bridge (one-way costs $2 for autos). Nowadays, U.S. citizens need to show a passport. You can exchange money and pick up maps and other useful area information at the travel center at the foot of the bridge.