Hiram M. Chittenden Locks

We lucked out and arrived just in time for a 3 pm free tour! It was very informative and we highly recommend it — very informational (we heard numerous people in the crowds asking each other questions that were mostly not answered well by their friends/​family, so the tour’s a good thing to get in on). We were bummed that we were probably a bit early in the season (June) so we didn’t see any salmon on the ladders, but we saw quite a few boats and kayaks go through the locks.

I brought my toddler here on a sunny day and it was packed! Lots of fun things to do and see.

The Locks was one of the highlights of our trip. I still can’t believe that my family never came here to visit growing up! I went with my hubs and my best friend who is WA-​born and raised. She told me about how the Locks was one of almost every elementary school field trip back in the day.
Parking was a breeze on a Friday afternoon. The card machine, however, was being difficult so I managed to scrounge up some quarters to get about 90 minutes on the parking pass. (90 minutes is plenty of time for exploring)
As soon as you make it into the park, the historic buildings and the gardens/​trees are just beautiful. I noticed several bikers walking their bikes across the park and thought it was very respectful of them to actually follow the rules.
When we made it over to the actual locks, we were in awe of the amazing engineering that needed to be done to have this place work the way it does. We watched small ships and large fishing ships go in and out. Also, even though it wasn’t the right season to see the salmon on the ladder, we got to go to the underground ‘aquarium’ and witnessed several salmon going in many directions. We enjoyed walking by water and taking several pictures.
It was not busy at all considering it was a very busy weekend in Seattle (UW grad). We thoroughly enjoyed visiting and learning something new!

The Locks are a must for any and every Seattle visit that the boy and I go on. Our routine typically involves stopping by a nearby French bakery for some incredible croissants fresh from the oven and two steaming hot lattes, before heading over.
There’s a little something for everyone at the Locks, whether you’re there to learn something about your fair city, go for a walk in by the water or in a beautiful side garden, or even just to unwind for a bit.
It does get crowded as the day goes by, but you’re more likely to see the Locks in action the later you go! It’s popular enough to be a destination for out-​of-​towners like myself, but far away enough from the typical touristy-​places to not be too over-​run.
I highly recommend adding a trip to the Locks to your next weekend trip!

I don’t know if I somehow missed something, but this was recommended by my cousin. I didn’t know exactly what was going on or why it should have been interesting. You see water, a small «garden», and that’s about it. Except it was out of the way and it was a really boring drive from Seattle.
Sure, if you get to see the locks work, I’m sure I’d rate this higher. But if you’re just staring at water that’s at two different height levels… Kind of not worth spending that time driving, then walking around aimlessly, I would have preferred to explore more of Seattle instead.

This is the perfect place for a first date, family picnic, or a place to walk your dog and stroll around on a sunny day in Ballard.
It is interesting to walk around the botanical garden, look at the boats, and take fun pictures with the wave structures and look at the fish latter (but come later in the year since may 2016 there aren’t any fish except for 2 tiny ones). My favorite part was watching the large sea lions play in the water.
Overall, the park is large so with so many people there, you do not feel crowded. It is a calming and beautiful place.
I would recommend coming on a Sunday or holidays like Memorial Day when free parking is available.

Very interesting feat of engineering… free guided tour is good, saw boats passing at big n small lock, fish ladder n smolt chute. saw a seal waiting for the salmon near the fish ladder and chute outlet… clever thing! theres also a beautiful botanical garden to the right with the chief engineers residence.

Lots to do here at the Chittenden Lock. Tours, walking paths, lots of tree shade, free concerts in the summer, many flowers to admire. Very interesting place. Parking is metered bring quarters or use a Debit card. Also the Lock Spot restaurant has the best fish tacos. Love watching the boats go through the locks. No Salmon yet in the ladder but soon they will be coming. Open till 9 pm

This is a must see. The locks allows boat traffic between Lake Union and Lake Washington, lowering the water level up to 8 ft from Lake Washington to Lake Union. The wait for traffic to enter the locks isn’t long. Totally fascinating if you’ve never seen a working lock.
In addition to the locks, the Carl English, Jr. Botanical Garden, a visitor center and a gift shop are on the grounds as well.

The park is beautiful and the locks are amazing. We initially went to see if there were any salmon in the fish ladder, but I guess we had gone at a bad time and didn’t get to see any salmon. It was still an enjoyable site nonetheless.

I thoroughly enjoy going here and watching the boats go to and from Lake Washington and the Puget Sound. The salmon latter is exciting to watch during spawning season and detailed information about the history of the ladder as well as the different varieties of fish that can be viewed are provided.
The only downsides are that you have to pay for parking (except Sunday) and it can get crowded sometimes. All in all a fun place to visit.

I’ve walked here a couple of times, it’s super fun. We saw a sea lion and some strange prehistoric sounding heron that flew back and forth across the water (see photoz).
Can get busy on the weekends, but it’s still fun to watch the boats go in and out.
Definitely a great place to walk around.

Fascinating. Watched a barge, as well as recreational boats, pass through the locks. Had hoped to see the salmon ladder, but the season starts in May. That would be neat to observe.

Actually got to see the locks in action!
An engineer named Steve chatted with us while the water was filling up and gave us an amazing and informational history of the locks and even the ones in Panama. Super nice guy. He reminds me of Denzel Washington in Two Guns with Mark Walberg.

Ah the locks. One of Seattle’s tourist destinations. Build nearly a hundred years ago by the army corps this place is the exit and entrance to the sound from Lake Union and Washington.
During the summer you can watch all sizes of boats pass through. The locks fill and empty pretty fast so you don’t have to wait very long.
If you walk along the backside of the damn it leads you from Ballard to Magnolia and down into the fish ladder. During different times of the year you are able to see salmon swim into Lake Union.
On the Ballard side there is a lot of open space and gardens to explore. It does get packed during the summer so be warned. There is a hill next to the locks where you can sit in the shade and see the boats go by.
Beware of the bird poo!
There’s a visitors center if you are looking for info (or bathroom) a little bit before you enter the water locks.
Parking can be near impossible during the summer and on weekends so also keep that in mind when visiting.

A really cool, FREE, and unique outing to show visitors in Seattle. If you’re able-​bodied and coming from downtown, take the 33 bus to W Government Way & 31ST Ave W where you get off. Head north along a really pretty trail that goes through a brief set of trees, over a pedestrian bridge above train tracks, and then leads you right to the south side of the locks.
Stay around to see the procedure from getting boats from the freshwater lake into the sound. It’s a fascinating process and amazing that this could be done so long ago. After enjoying the locks and the park, head north to explore Ballard and grab an über to wherever you want to go next. I would recommend walking to the Nordic Heritage Museum if you’re up there and willing to do a 10-​minute walk.

This isn’t just a touristy thing to do. There is a visitor center with a kind of museum you go navigate through to learn the history of the locks and what purpose the locks have served. If you don’t want to just go to the museum and locks, there are botanical gardens and a few walking trails as well so they you can get some exercise while taking in nature in a quite setting.
The locks and the dam are really cool. It may seem rudimentary to think boat goes in, water go out or in, boat goes out, but it’s a bit more complex then that. More than one boat can go in at once. There is even a lock for larger boats that need to make the journey. It’s like an elevator for boats made out of water. Boats go in, tie themselves off, water is pumped in or out the tubes at the bottom of the lock, the boats go up or down, they clear everyone off the bridges that you can walk on to go across the locks, they open the bridge up and the boats untie and putt-​putt along their merry way. It only takes about 10 – 20 mins or less. I was amazed that something like this exists in this day and age, but it doesn’t seem like any better way to get the same results without severely damaging your boat. It’s really cool.
After you watch a couple sessions of the elevators, head over to the dam or spillway and listen to the cascade of water rushing over the walls. It’s not super misty on the walkway so it’s pleasant to just stand there and listen to the water. If you keep going, the fish ladder is on the other side for the salmon. Hopefully you catch it when the salmon are swimming or go into the fish ladder and watch the salmon through the glass windows struggling to swim upstream.
The locks are cool and all you have to pay for is parking and/​or donate to the visitor’s center if you see fit.

Free area to visit that includes a botanical garden, parks, and the Locks. If you don’t know what locks are, a wikipedia search should explain it. As a quick summary, essentially when there are two bodies of water of different water heights, the lock system enables boats to travel between the two by having the boat enter an area with the entry doors open and the exit door closed, have the entry doors close, fill or remove water from this closed system (like a bathtub), and then open the exit doors once the closed area reaches the same water height as the exit body of water. The Panama canal is essentially multiple sequential lock systems. Here, is just the one.
There is a little something hypnotic of watching boats move between bodies of water.
There is also a fish larder, where depending on time of the year, you can see the salmon making its migration back upstream.

This is such a great place to stay watch the comings and goings of the boats. The fish ladder is great very educational. The restroom facilities are within the visitor center while you’re there there is a very nice gift shop as well as a 12 minute movie that educate you on the history behind the locks. It’s very worth the time to hear about how it was created when it was created who was affiliated with its creation so on and so forth. There are nice trees and foliage all along the property so bring a lunch and spend the day.

Go out of the typical downtown tourist district and check out this cool bay lock! Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, or casually known as the Ballard Locks, allow boats to travel in and out of the bay without significantly disrupting the salmon flow. It’s not only a terrific engineering fest to witness, but also a cool sight to see especially if you are lucky to see the salmon swim up the fish ladders at the right season! Even if you can’t find any salmon, you can definitely see in person how the locks work in sending the boats through close-​up.
Sorry engineering nerd here, I thought that was pretty awesome!
On en route to the Locks from the parking lot of the Ballard side is a small garden so to make the most of your trip there, go in the morning to swing by the nice well-​maintained garden. This place should take you an hour or less to explore.

FYI: Ballard Locks and Chittenden Locks is the same place – just in case you cannot locate this on the map.
Neat concept, but we didn’t see any salmon :(We came at the wrong time of year. It appears the peak months are late July, August, and September. See my picture. I took a picture of the chart.

This place was definitely a great place for sight-​seeing, walking around, and watching how the locks worked for the boats passing through the bridge.
The waters were clear, the views were so calming, nature was everywhere… overall, a beautiful and free place to come to if you are stressed or want to show some guests a wonderful place.
There are steps on the other side of bridge with locks that is under the trees so you can have shade and look at the beautiful view of the lake with the city in the background!
They have a cute, little souvenier shop but there wasn’t much in there. I’m not from Seattle so I wanted to bring something back home as a memoir. I ended up getting these nice magnets but for $ 7. It was pretty expensive but was the only thing I liked from the shop.

Is this the Ballard Locks or the Chittenden Locks? Yes. Which? They’re the same place.
So, is this the Ballard Locks or the Chittenden Locks? The sign says Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, but most local Seattleites affectionately call it The Ballard Locks!
Whatever you call it — I find myself asking: Why don’t we come here every weekend? This place is gorgeous!
Beautiful view of the Salmon Bay waterway connecting into Lake Union via the locks! Great elevated walkways and paths along the locks are designed well and give even just the casual stroller a great view of the water!
Fun to find a spot along one of the locks (there are 2 side by side,) and watch the process. It’s incredible to watch the channel fill up with water to meet the water level on the other side just before those massive gates open and let the boats pass through! An engineering marvel!
The visitor center is interesting and well thought out. Take the time to go in (before 6pm when they close) and learn a little about the history of the locks. The short information video/​movie is worth the stop for sure and gives great context for why the Ballard Locks are so special. Head upstairs for more exhibits, antiques and interesting maps of the area!
Beautiful Carl S English Jr. Botanical Gardens surrounding the Ballard side of the locks! We could easily spend the whole day here! Best of all– this public wonder and the tours on site are all free!