Hiram M. Chittenden Locks (Ballard Locks)

As seen from the guided tour, Show Me Seattle! We enjoyed seeing the salmon waiting in the salt water to go up the fish ladder and into fresh lake water. We got to see private boats go thru the locks.

Our bus tour stopped her for about 40 minutes - we could have spent many hours here watching the boats go between the sea water and fresh water. Also, looking at the fish. MUST SEE!

Free, Well except for city parking out side of the locks. But the grounds, locks and fish ladder are all free. Starting in June on weekends FREE concerts. . The staff answered all our questions with a smile and the grounds were interesting and well kept. Several large boats went threw while we were there and in the late spring and summer salmon fill the fish ladder. We did not even realize we were on a Federal facility until we saw the Corps of Engineers Patches on the Park Rangers uniform. Everything was free which means our expectation was exceeded. We have paid much more for far less. Visit the Locks in Ballard.

This is a great addition to your Seattle siteseeing! There are beautiful green areas to sit & have a private or social picnic so take a basket & try to plan one when visiting here. Also, on the corner to the entrance to the Locks is the bar called the "Lockspot". This is where they filmed the show "After the Catch" based on the show "The Deadliest Catch" where they interviewed the captains from the crews they filmed on that particular show.....quaint little bar & pictures all over inside of the "stars" of the "Deadliest Catch" show.

Beauty Surrounded by peace and beauty, plus watching boats. The narration was outstanding and the salmon run was too cool! We cannot wait to go back.

I live in Hawaii and am surrounded by water. Yet experiencing Chittenden Locks was awesome! It was fun to be 'locked' in and wait for the water level to be dropped so we could continue about our way! How fun is that! Dislike - Management needs to have better crowd control for when the gates open/close. The bridges aren't blocked off from the public when they're being opened/closed. It's an accident waiting to happen especially with little children.

The kids have fun watching the boats going by in the locks. I is also a great place to watch the salmon. The gardens are beautiful.

Been here about 5 times with visitors from other cities and states. No one have ever complained when I bring them here. They usually get excited and amazed... Me myself as a 'Seattle guide' , kind of :P, for bout 2 years, has never been bored by this place...yet! :). The Lock, the Salmons, they are interesting :).

We always enjoy a casual stroll through the on-site gardens before we head down to the locks to check out the marine traffic passing through. If you're really fortunate you can see the really large ships transit the larger lock. Cross on over to the other side to check out the Salmon Ladder. This is a great place to toss a blanket down on the hillside and just watch the world pass by!

Interesting and a must see if you're a nerdy type or have kids. Or both. The boats go up and down qickly so there isn't a lot of waiting. The area is very well kept and completly open to wonder without restriction. You actually walk out on the locks and over the damn which really gets you into the whole process. The fish ladder was a velcome suprise. The only cost is transportation there and a couple of bucks for parking.