The Hiram H. Chittenden Locks were created in 1917, part of the Lake Washington Ship Canal that connects inland lakes Washington and Union with the Puget Sound and Pacific Ocean.

The fish ladder, locks and grounds, including Carl S. English Jr. Gardens, are open 7 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. The visitor center is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. May 1 through Sept. 30 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct ...

1 / 5 Show Caption + SEATTLE - Members of the public tour the newly renovated fish ladder viewing room at the Lake Washington Ship Canal and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, Aug. 16, 2012.

The Locks are the nation's busiest, passing over 40,000 vessels through their gates every year. The dancing event raised money for upgrades to the Fish Ladder Viewing Area.GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM ...

It’s hard." The tough odds make us empathize. 12 secs Visitors to the Ballard Locks in Seattle react to a tenacious Chinook salmon with a huge seal bite on its back om August 18, 2023.

If you’re a seal, the Ballard Locks are a great place to find a snack. Seals eat a lot of salmon as they migrate through the Locks’ fish ladder to try to reach spawning grounds on the other side.

Salmon are swaggering through Ballard and it’s a show not to be missed. The windows at the fish ladder at the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks are shimmering with fish. Not just any fish, but the toast ...

Fish coming from Puget Sound have to climb the ladder to get over the Ballard Locks to spawn. However, warm waters and a loss of nutrients are harming those efforts significantly.

It’s a big weekend at the Ballard Locks as sockeye salmon return as part of their journey upstream to spawn. The sockeye travel 40-50 miles upriver to spawn in Lake Washington during the summer.

A fish ladder lets salmon swim up past the locks to their freshwater spawning grounds; glass viewing windows let people watch them.

Fixing the fish ladder viewing areas is not going to rise to the top of that list for many years," Adams said. The fish ladder viewing area at the Ballard Locks will begin renovations winter 2017.