Look up EUPTA's status page first. EUPTA posts the live state of each of its ferries online and on 906-632-1516; on October 7, 2026 the Sugar Island boat was running as scheduled. Then go: on most of the timetable there is a departure every 30 minutes from each side, so there is nothing to reserve.
Count on a slower crossing until the regular boat is back. The Drummond Islander III, borrowed from the DeTour–Drummond run, has covered Sugar Island since June 1 while the Sugar Islander II is in dry dock. EUPTA has given no return date beyond "the fall of 2026".
Know the fare before you board. A car is $20 there and back with all its passengers; on foot it is $2. Michigan's other all-night river ferry on this site, Champion's boat to Harsens Island, also sells round trips, but takes cash only and lets walk-ons ride free.
Half-hourly by day, hourly in the small hours
Overnight runs, regular schedule
From Sault Ste. Marie Ferry Dock
From Sugar Island Ferry Dock
Winter, Sunday–Thursday nights, after 23:45
From Sault Ste. Marie Ferry Dock
From Sugar Island Ferry Dock
Winter, Friday and Saturday nights, after 00:45
From Sault Ste. Marie Ferry Dock
From Sugar Island Ferry Dock
EUPTA rate and schedule card revised October 1, 2024, still the current version on October 7, 2026. Regular schedule May 1, 2026 to January 16, 2027; winter schedule January 17 to April 30, 2027. EUPTA — Sugar Island Ferry Schedule and Rates · 2026-10-07
One $20 fare takes a car over and back, passengers included
Pay once, ride both ways: every Sugar Island fare is a round trip, and a vehicle fare covers everyone inside it. Have it ready before you reach the deckhand. On this ferry the crew takes cash, credit or debit cards and checks, and EUPTA says it prefers cashless payment.
The myEUPTA phone app sells the same round-trip tickets. Activate one only as you roll aboard: it stays valid for an hour, and any ticket expires six months after purchase whether used or not.
| Car, pickup or UTV | $ 20 |
| Car, pickup or UTV, senior 65+ or disabled | $ 10 |
| Motorcycle, snowmobile or ATV | $ 10 |
| Walk-on passenger | $ 2 |
| Walk-on passenger, senior or disabled | $ 1 |
| Pickup with camper | $ 30 |
| Motor home | $ 35 |
| Trailer up to 15 ft | $ 20 |
| Trailer over 15 ft to 25 ft | $ 25 |
| Trailer over 25 ft | $ 35 |
| Single-axle truck or commercial delivery | $ 30 |
| Tandem-axle truck | $ 35 |
| Car, pickup or UTV | $ 105 |
| Senior car, pickup or UTV | $ 80 |
| Single-axle truck, or trailer 15–25 ft | $ 320 |
| Tandem truck, trailer over 25 ft or concrete truck | $ 550 |
Round-trip rates from EUPTA's rate card revised October 1, 2024; 20-trip card prices also checked against EUPTA's ticket page; read October 7, 2026 EUPTA — Sugar Island Ferry Schedule and Rates · 2026-10-07
Riverside Drive in the Soo, and the landing on the island
Fares are paid to the deckhand on board, or ahead of time in the myEUPTA app or as paper tickets mailed by EUPTA. Nothing needs reserving: join the line.
Sault Ste. Marie Ferry Dock
The mainland dock is at the east end of the city. Follow Portage Avenue to Riverside Drive and keep going past the Aune Osborn campground, as the local visitors bureau describes it; EUPTA itself gives no street address.
Queue in order and do not block side streets or driveways while you wait: the authority's etiquette sheet asks drivers to keep regular traffic moving along the river road.
Sugar Island Ferry Dock
On the island side the boat leaves on the hour and the half hour. The first departure of the regular day is at 5:00 a.m., a quarter of an hour before the first one from the city.
Frequent riders use 20-trip punch cards. Seniors 65 and over need ID for their discount, and riders with a disability should tell the deckhand before paying.
A quarter-mile hop over the St. Marys
Between the two docks the St. Marys River is less than a quarter of a mile wide, going by the two docks' positions in the national ferry-terminal file. It is also a working shipping channel, and the boat sometimes crosses close to a passing freighter.
Sugar Island takes its name from the stands of sugar maples that Native Americans and early settlers tapped. Much of it is still forest, with year-round homes scattered through woods where, the local visitors bureau says, moose browse and wolves can be heard after dark.
Do these five things and the line moves faster
- Stay in your car until counted
The crew counts and charges everyone before anyone gets out. Keep children with an adult once you are allowed out.
- Lights off on the ramp at night
Dock and ferry lighting is enough to board by; headlights only blind the crew.
- Phone away while loading
Watch the deckhand's signals instead. If you use the app, activate the ticket before you reach the ramp.
- Avoid Wednesday mid-morning
Weekly refueling starts around 9:30 a.m. and takes about 45 minutes.
- No smoking aboard
EUPTA bans smoking on its ferries at all times.
One authority, three island ferries
Sugar is one of three island crossings run by the Eastern Upper Peninsula Transportation Authority. The others are Neebish Island, reached from Barbeau on a timetable that changes in early spring, late autumn and winter, and Drummond Island, a ten-minute trip from DeTour Village. Commuter cards bought for one work on all of them, and the authority shuffles its boats between them: this summer Drummond Island was left with a single ferry so that Sugar Island could keep its service while the Sugar Islander II went through its five-year inspection.
The authority sets its rules for a working ferry rather than a tourist one. Oversize loads are charged as a house, and a house really can be moved, one way and by appointment. The crew decides how every vehicle is classed, and EUPTA says it accepts no responsibility for scraped exhausts, hitches or low-riding cars on the ramps.
Sugar Island ferry questions this fall
Does the Sugar Island ferry run all night?
Yes, in practice. Under the regular schedule the half-hourly service runs from 5:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. from the island and to 2:15 a.m. from Sault Ste. Marie, then there are boats at 3:00 and 4:00 from the island and 3:15 and 4:15 from the mainland.
Why is the Drummond Islander III on the Sugar Island run?
The regular boat, the Sugar Islander II, was withdrawn on June 1, 2026 for dry-dock maintenance and its five-year inspection, and EUPTA expects it back during the fall of 2026. Loading and crossing may take a few minutes longer meanwhile.
Is $20 for a car each way or round trip?
Round trip. All Sugar Island rates are round trips except special runs and house moves, and the fare covers everyone in the vehicle.
Do Sugar Island deckhands take cards?
Yes. Cash, credit or debit cards and checks are accepted, and EUPTA prefers cashless payment. The Neebish ferry, by contrast, is cash or check only.
What changes on January 17?
The winter schedule starts and runs to April 30. Half-hourly boats stop after 23:30 from the island and 23:45 from Sault Ste. Marie on Sunday to Thursday nights, and after 00:30 and 00:45 into Saturday and Sunday mornings; after that it is hourly until 5 a.m.
Will my Sugar Island punch card work at DeTour or Barbeau?
Yes. The 20-trip commuter cards are valid at all EUPTA ferry locations, but they are non-transferable and expire six months after purchase.
What happens on Wednesday mornings?
It is refueling day: the fuel truck arrives around 9:30 a.m. and the job takes about 45 minutes, so expect waits then.