Chris Izworski

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Free Michigan and Great Lakes Tools

Live maps, forecasts, planners, calculators, and field guides built by Chris Izworski.

Chris Izworski builds these free tools to answer practical questions: Which Michigan–Ontario border crossing is shortest right now? Can I cross the Mackinac Bridge easily? Which ships are near the Soo Locks? Is the Au Sable fishable this morning? How much cold has Saginaw Bay accumulated? Where is Michigan fall color peaking? Are the northern lights worth chasing tonight? Where should a day trip go under today's conditions? Everything here is free and grouped by what you are actually doing, from fishing and hunting to transportation, boat watching, trip planning, nature watching, and Zone 6a gardening. Use the finder to search all 36 tools by name or topic, or switch to the in season filter to see what is most useful this month.

What are you trying to do?

Start with the decision, then move between tools without returning to a directory.

Get on the water

Follow ships

Explore maritime history

Go outside in Michigan

Time the garden

Michigan winter decision desk

Choose the winter question you are trying to answer

Start with the decision, then move to the live signal that can actually answer it. The planning pages explain the place; the live tools tell you what the day looks like.

Cross-country skier

I want to ski

Choose the trail system first, then check whether the snow signal is worth chasing and confirm the latest grooming report.

Plan trail → live snow → groomer
Plan Michigan XC →Live snow signal ↗
Ice angler / lake watcher

I’m checking ice

Pick the water, read accumulated cold and available remote ice context, then verify conditions locally before any on-ice decision.

Choose water → cold trend → local check
Open Michigan Ice →Saginaw Bay example →
Winter traveler

I’m planning a winter day up north

Check the drive before the activity. Bridge status and regional weather can change the trip even when the trail or lake looks promising.

Route → crossing conditions → activity
Check Mackinac Bridge →Add tonight’s aurora check →
Open-ended day planner

I don’t know what’s worth doing

Start with the conditions-driven day-trip planner, or jump into the full finder and filter the tool library by what is in season.

Conditions → best-fit activity → specialist tool
Open Michigan Outdoors Now ↗Search all tools ↓
Free · No account required
Five live reads, one screen

Up North Michigan

The pre-trip check: aurora odds, fall colour stage, Mackinac Bridge wind, Great Lakes water and ice, each with a link to the tool behind it.

Check before you go

The library keeps its existing URLs and is organized so visitors and search engines can reach the most useful live tools faster.

Michigan fishing and hunting tools

Live water and field conditions for anglers and hunters. These pull real gauge, weather, and satellite data rather than repeating generic advice.

Live data
Michigan Trout Report, Daily Stream Conditions and Flow
Live conditions for more than 63 Michigan trout rivers: USGS flow, water temperature, and weather, with a daily fly and lure pick for the river in rotation. Updated every morning. Free.
Live data
Michigan Trout Stream Map, Live Conditions and 310 Access Points
An interactive map of Michigan trout water color-coded by today's fishing rating and built on live USGS gauge readings, with 310 DNR access points you can navigate to directly.
Live data
Michigan Trout Daily, One River Every Morning
A written report on one Michigan trout river each morning: stream conditions, hatch notes, and fly fishing intelligence built on live USGS gauge data.
Live data
Michigan Salmon and Steelhead Run Tracker, Live River Conditions
A live tracker for Michigan's fall salmon and steelhead runs across seven rivers, including the Big Manistee below Tippy Dam, the Pere Marquette, and the Muskegon below Croton. Live USGS flow and water temperature drive a run status read for kings, coho, and steelhead, with river by river timing, technique, and access. Free.
Live data
Saginaw Bay Report, Live Wind and Which Shore Is Fishable
Saginaw Bay is shallow enough that wind decides everything, so this answers the two questions that actually matter: which zone is in the lee and comfortable, and which zone the water and bait are stacking onto. Live wind from three NOAA buoys, river flow and turbidity, and Lake Huron water level, across the Inner Bay, Lower Bay, and Eastern Bay. Free.
Live data
Michigan Whitetail Report, Corn Harvest and Live Deer Conditions
A live Michigan deer hunting conditions tracker across four regions, built on the one habitat variable most hunting apps ignore: the corn harvest. Standing corn is security cover, and when it comes down in October the local deer herd reorganizes. Pairs that with live National Weather Service pressure, three hour trend, and wind, plus computed rut timing. Free.
Live data
Michigan Ice Report, Accumulated Cold and Great Lakes Ice Cover
Michigan ice conditions across six waters, tracked the way ice actually works: as accumulated cold rather than today's temperature. Shows accumulated freezing degree days against a ten year normal, NOAA satellite ice cover, and 54 years of Great Lakes ice climatology. Reports weather and satellite data, never ice safety. Free.
Live data
Michigan Phenology, Saginaw Bay and the Au Sable in Real Time
An interpreted read on the natural year across Saginaw Bay and northeastern Michigan: live river conditions, projected hatches, bird movement, and growing degree days.

Great Lakes water, weather, and boat watching

Border crossings, vessel traffic, wave and wind conditions, water levels, and the maritime history behind them.

Live official data
Michigan Border Wait Times Live, All Five Crossings
Compare official waits entering Canada or the United States at the Gordie Howe International Bridge, Ambassador Bridge and Detroit–Windsor Tunnel, with separate live answers for Blue Water Bridge and the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge in the Upper Peninsula. Passenger, commercial and trusted-lane selection, cameras, Ontario approach events, NWS warnings, tolls, observed-versus-typical context, and five crossing-specific search guides. Built by Chris Izworski.
Live data
Mackinac Bridge Conditions Live, Cameras, Wind Context, Traffic, and RV Guidance
The official Mackinac Bridge Authority crossing status comes first, with separate northbound and southbound cameras, NWS Straits radar, clearly labeled off-bridge NOAA observations, an hourly Mackinaw City approach forecast, RV and trailer rules, nearby Mi Drive events, driver assistance, tolls, shareable crossing reports, and a vehicle-specific Crossing Confidence label.
Live data
Great Lakes Gazette, Daily Maritime Brief
A daily newsletter updated automatically each morning with vessel movements, port reports, water levels across all five Great Lakes, and National Weather Service marine forecasts. Built on live AIS vessel tracking data and NOAA feeds. Free and updated every day during the navigation season.
Live data
Great Lakes Ship Tracker Live, Freighters and AIS Map
A live lake-wide AIS vessel map with one-tap views for the Soo Locks, Mackinac, Duluth, Port Huron, Detroit, and Saginaw Bay, plus nearby NOAA conditions and named passage links.
Guide
SS Edmund Fitzgerald, November 10 1975, The Wreck on Lake Superior
The complete history of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the largest freighter ever lost on the Great Lakes. The ship, the final voyage, the 29-man crew with hometowns and roles, the wreck site 17 miles from Whitefish Point, the July 4 1995 bell recovery, the Gordon Lightfoot song, the annual memorial ceremonies, and how to visit Whitefish Point today.
Live data
Soo Locks Live Vessel Activity and Visitor Guide
Interactive live AIS vessel map at the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Real-time navigation season status, lock dimensions and history, the Poe replacement lock under construction, vessel category identification, and the visitor guide for watching transits at the busiest commercial lock complex in the world.
Live data
Great Lakes Buoy Dashboard, Live Wave, Wind, and Water Conditions
Live data from more than 100 NOAA buoys and coastal stations across all five Great Lakes. Wave height, wind speed and gusts, water temperature, and air pressure on an interactive dark-themed map with activity filters for fishing, kayaking, swimming, sailing, and diving. Geolocation-based distance ranking, 5-day sparkline history per station, and conditional cross-promotion to the rest of the Great Lakes tool network.
Live official data
Michigan Beach Report, Live Conditions, Closures, and Daily Summer Ranking
Compare 50 Michigan beaches using active EGLE BeachGuard notices, National Weather Service hazards, NOAA waves and water temperature, and local forecasts. Search, map, sort near you, open a beach detail page, or use the automatically seasonal Best Michigan Beaches Today ranking. The core report stays live all year.
Live data
Great Lakes Levels, Real-Time Water Levels and Shoreline Reference
Real-time water levels for all five Great Lakes with tools built for shoreline property owners: an anchor year comparator, sub-region erosion risk, OHWM and regulatory context, seiche and storm exposure, and a six-month outlook.

Michigan trip planners

Route and logistics tools for a day out or a long weekend, built on real hours, access points, and drive times.

Planner
The Au Sable Field Map, 70 Verified Access Points, Campgrounds, and a Trip Planner
An interactive map of Michigan's Au Sable River from Grayling to Lake Huron, with 70 verified locations: launches and liveries, fly shops and lodges, state and federal campgrounds including the impoundment camps, scenic overlooks, hiking and Shore-to-Shore horseback trails, and birding hotspots from loons to the Kirtland's warbler. Every card carries live USGS flow and weather, there is a float-time planner for the mainstem and its branches, activity filters for fishing, paddling, camping, birding and more, and notes on the steelhead and salmon water below Foote Dam.
Guide
Au Sable River Guide, Float Times, Fishing, and Camping
A planning guide to the Au Sable from Grayling to Lake Huron: the Holy Water and the river's segments, popular floats with paddle times, where to fish for trout, smallmouth, and the steelhead and salmon run below Foote, the state, federal, and impoundment campgrounds, birding from loons to the Kirtland's warbler, and answers to the questions people ask most.
Planner
Michigan Outdoors Now, Live-Condition Day Trip Planner
Start with a Michigan city or ZIP and get three outdoor day-trip plans ranked for forecast, air quality, drive time, interests, kids, dogs, and accessibility. Covers 27 curated destinations, uses live weather signals, requires no login, and does not save your location. Built by Chris Izworski. Free.
Planner
Michigan Outdoor Weekend, Weekend Trip Planning Hub
A planning hub for Michigan weekends outside: hand-built guides for paddling, trout, fall color and the northern lights, wine country, and the Lake Superior shore. Each guide routes to the live tool behind it and to real state park and Recreation.gov reservations. Built by Chris Izworski. Free.
Planner
Traverse City Wine Country, a Routed Day Planner for the Wineries, Breweries, Cideries, and Distilleries
A day planner for the tasting rooms of the Traverse City area, across the Old Mission and Leelanau peninsulas. Choose the places you want to visit and it builds a routed, time-aware loop that respects real opening hours, the time you spend at each stop, and the drive between them, with beaches, hikes, and scenic overlooks woven in along the way. Sample starter days to begin from, a designated-driver mode, a shareable summary you can drop in a text, and a button that opens the whole loop in Google Maps. Built on a verified dataset of 74 venues: 40 wineries, 22 breweries, 7 distilleries, and 5 cideries. Free.
Plan by area or trip: Old Mission wineries · Leelanau wine trail · Suttons Bay tasting rooms · breweries and distilleries · one-day itineraries · group and bachelorette planning · fall color wine tour
Planner
Pictured Rocks Planner, Boat, Kayak, Hike, or Drive
A logistics-first planner for Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. An interactive decision tool weighs your time, walking tolerance, water comfort, and who is coming, then hands you the right day: the boat cruise, a guided sea kayak trip, the 10-mile Chapel Loop, or the drive-and-stroll circuit. Covers the honest comparison between all four, the Munising versus Grand Marais lodging fork, reservation-only camping and the six-month backcountry permit window, entrance fees, where dogs can and cannot go, the south-wind biting fly problem, month-by-month timing, and current closures including the Munising Falls rebuild. Free.
Planner
Lake Superior Circle Tour, Stop-by-Stop Guide and Trip Planner
Complete guide to the 1,300-mile circumnavigation of Lake Superior. 31 major stops across Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Ontario; freighter-watching notes at every port; three concrete itineraries (7, 10, and 14 days); live water-level data; and an interactive trip planner. Built from years of Great Lakes work, wilderness canoe trips on the Canadian north shore, and the freighter routes that pass Bay City on the way to the Soo Locks.
Live data
Michigan Cross-Country Skiing, Trails and Live Conditions
Start with the statewide planning guide to compare representative Michigan trail systems, classic and skate options, rentals, snowmaking, and the best source to verify each trail. Then open the live snow map for 48 northern Michigan trail systems when you are deciding whether today is worth the drive.
Plan Michigan XC →Live trail conditions ↗
Live data
Michigan Morel Report, Soil Warming South to North
Morels are triggered by soil temperature, not by a date, and that trigger crosses Michigan south to north over about five weeks. This tracks where the front edge is right now across five regions, using accumulated warmth measured against a ten year normal. Honest about its limits: Michigan has almost no public soil temperature stations, so soil is modelled from air temperature. No identification key and nobody's spots. Free.

Michigan nature watching

Fall color, bird migration, and aurora, each driven by live observation data rather than a calendar.

Live data
Northern Lights Michigan, Tonight's Aurora Forecast and Viewing Guide
Live NOAA SWPC three-day Kp index forecast for Michigan, tonight's viewing odds calculated from peak Kp, the dark-sky locations on Lake Superior and the Upper Peninsula that can actually see the aurora when it shows up, dark-sky park ratings, photography settings, and the geomagnetic storm science.
Live data
Michigan Fall Color, a Live Peak Map, Forecast, and Rivers to Paddle Through the Color
Where Michigan's fall color is peaking right now, from the Upper Peninsula to the southern border, built on canopy camera readings and Open-Meteo weather. Region-by-region peak timing on an interactive dark map, a six-day forecast for each area, a color-near-you locator, a trip planner that matches a weekend and a mood to where the color is standing, eleven destination field guides from the Tunnel of Trees to the Au Sable, and a short note each day through the season. Free and updated daily.
Live data
Michigan Birding Report, Real-Time Sightings Map and Species Guide
Live bird sightings mapped across Michigan and refreshed from eBird every 15 minutes: notable species alerts, Saginaw Bay hotspots, migration forecasts, and species profiles.
Live data
Michigan Birding Daily, County Reports with Live eBird Data
One Michigan county every morning: live eBird observations, notable sightings, National Weather Service conditions, and hotspot recommendations.

Zone 6a Michigan gardening and yard

Frost windows, seed timing, and lawn care calibrated to the Great Lakes Bay region rather than a national average.

Planner
Zone 6a Planting Calculator, Bay City and Saginaw Bay
Month-by-month seed starting and transplant guide calibrated to the Bay City frost window. Covers tomatoes, peppers, brassicas, cucurbits, and direct-sow crops. Built from years of season tracking at Freighter View Farms. The most precise Zone 6a timing resource for the Great Lakes Bay Region.
Planner
Heirloom Variety Matchmaker
Five questions about your garden, three heirloom varieties matched to it, each with seed saving instructions. Covers zone, sun exposure, growing space, experience level, and what you want from the harvest. Built on the Freighter View Farms variety trials.
Guide
Heirloom Seed Saving Guide
Fermentation method for tomatoes, dry processing for beans and squash, isolation distances, harvest timing, and storage conditions for Zone 6a Michigan. Written from the Freighter View Farms seed library. Specific enough to use directly.
Guide
Michigan Frost Dates, Great Lakes Bay Region
Last spring frost and first fall frost data for Michigan growing regions, with specific context for the lake-effect zone around Bay City and Saginaw Bay. Covers how proximity to the lake moderates frost timing compared to inland locations at the same latitude.
Guide
Seed Starting Guide
Equipment, medium, lighting, and timing for indoor seed starts in Zone 6a Michigan. Covers the setup that actually works for a home gardener without a greenhouse, not the ideal setup, the practical one.
Planner
Perfect Lawn Advisor, a Lawn Care Plan Built From Your Address
Enter a full address and get a lawn care plan tailored to that property: USDA zone, soil type, local grass species, microclimate, and live weather conditions.

For developers and AI agents

Open infrastructure, published for reuse.

Registry
AgentBase, Open Agent Instruction Registry
An open registry of agent instruction files, system prompts, skills, workflows, domain packs, and safety filters for AI agents. CC0-licensed and MCP-compatible. Built from the implementation work that produced the Saginaw County 911 AI deployment and the Prepared deployment tooling. Free to use, fork, or extend.
Bay City, Michigan · Updated July 2026