Detroit River: Dossin Museum
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This camera looks out from the Dossin Great Lakes Museum on Belle Isle, straight onto one of the busiest working waterways in North America. The Detroit River carries lake freighters, tugs, ferries and weekend pleasure craft between Lake St Clair and Lake Erie, and the museum's riverside position puts you close enough to read the hull names as they slide past.

Why the Detroit River? Few rivers combine heavy industry and everyday city life so closely. Freighters hundreds of feet long share the channel with kayaks and fishing boats, with Canada visible on the far bank. The Dossin Museum has told the story of Great Lakes shipping for decades, and this view is essentially the exhibit continuing outside the window.

Dossin Great Lakes Museum highlights: As you enjoy the live view, be sure to look out for:

• Passing lake freighters: Long bulk carriers move through the channel day and night, often riding low in the water when fully loaded with ore or stone.
• The Canadian shoreline: Across the water lies Windsor, Ontario, making this one of the rare views where two countries share a single frame.
• Ice and weather: Winter brings drifting ice and steam rising off the water, while summer evenings deliver long golden light down the channel.

Beyond the River: Belle Isle is a public island park in the Detroit River, home to a conservatory, an aquarium and wide green space with skyline views. Downtown Detroit sits just upstream, with the riverwalk running along the waterfront, and the Ambassador Bridge and Windsor are within easy sight of the island.

Thanks to the Dossin Great Lakes Museum and its operators for keeping this camera pointed at the shipping channel and sharing it freely. Maritime watchers around the world rely on views like this one to follow the working traffic of the Great Lakes.

Tune in for a few quiet minutes and wait for the next freighter, because on the Detroit River something is almost always moving through the frame.