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Visiting the locks in October was a lot less crowded and parking meters were turned off. The drawback was one set of locks were under early renovation (thought it wasn’t supposed to start until November) and the pathway to the locks and salmon ladders were blocked off. I remember during our previous summer visit watching the salmon make their way up the ladder which was a sight to see. Also the girls and I spent awhile watching the lock get loaded with boats and raised or lowered depending on the direction of travel. For now it was not so interesting just watching the tops of the boats. Due to COVID-19 the museum was closed along with the pedestrian bridge and all restrooms so take that into consideration when planning your winter visit. This is a great example of engineering in action. …
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Date of experience: October 2020
5 Helpful votes
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Not many cities have their own locks to help transfer boats from one body of water to another but these are truly interesting. There are also Salmon Ladders on the south side of the water which are worth walking over to see.
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Date of experience: August 2020
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Officially known as the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, the Ballard Locks is one of Seattle’s most popular tourist attractions, especially during the sunny months. The grounds also feature a fish ladder and the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden — one of the most beautiful park settings in Seattle. Completed in 1917, the locks link the Puget Sound with Lake Union and Lake Washington. Once boats heading towards Puget Sound are in the locks, the water level drops as much as 26 feet to bring the boats even with Puget Sound. The fresh water is exchanged with salt water. The locks are also a critical link for salmon and steelhead heading upstream to spawn. A fish ladder with 21 steps or “weirs” allows spawning fish to climb to the freshwater side. Young fish, or “smolts” then return down through the locks out to Puget Sound.…
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Date of experience: June 2020
203 Helpful votes1 Save5 Reposts
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“The Locks” is a wonderful park to visit. Watching a boats go through the locks, which are very busy in the summer. A destination to ride our bikes and grab some fish n chips. And beautiful gardens to stroll, the fish ladder to watch and nice clean toilets.
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Date of experience: January 2020
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I'd never seen the Locks before, and let me tell you: it was awesome. If you enjoy watching machines work, or watching boats travel, you'll enjoy the Locks. Unfortunately the salmon ladder was closed when we went, under renovations. There's parking at the parks on either side of the Locks, and I'd recommend taking a stroll from one end to the other. It's a wonderfully relaxing experience.…
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Date of experience: March 2020
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