S.S. Badger - Ludington, Michigan to Manitowoc, Wisconsin

Wednesday, 24 June 2026 

A "bucket list" ferry ride across Lake Michigan. The service was started by the C&O railroad to ferry railcars across the lake, avoiding Chicago. Rail service stopped a long time ago, and the ships have been converted to car/truck/passenger service. Only two ships remain: the S.S. Badger and the S.S. Spartan. (College sports fans will recognized the significance of these names.)

The S.S. Badger at the dock in Ludington, Michigan.

Loading vehicles and passengers. Unlike most car ferries we've been on, you do not drive your own car on board - the crew does. However, motorcyclists do ride their own motorcycles on board.
Note the "National Historic Landmark" designation. The Badger is one of only two mobile "landmarks" - the other being the San Francisco cable cars.

I didn't expect to see lounge chairs on the open bow on the upper deck. Unfortunately, the day was cool and rainy - not conducive to spending time outside on the four-hour cruise. On the lower passenger deck were plenty of amenities: a museum, a gift store, an arcade, and children's play room, and a cafeteria, where in addition to getting eats and drinks, you can play "Badger Bingo".

The Badger still runs on the original coal-fired steam engine, so it's not the environmentally friendliest ship on the Great Lakes.

Manitowoc harbor. The weather was much nicer in Wisconsin, although we still had occasional rain showers on our drive down to Naperville, Illinois.

As we approached Manitowoc, hundreds of herring gulls started following the ship.

And as we neared the dock, families of Canada geese, with lots of juveniles, were in the water.

The final approach to the dock. You can see the evidence of train tracks on the vehicle deck.

Cars were off-loaded into a parking lane, where passengers pick up their car and drive away. Trucks and RVs were in a separate area.

We were pleasantly surprised by our morning sailing across Lake Michigan. Maybe we'll find an excuse to do it again!