In the city · 1917 · fish ladder
Ballard Locks
The busiest lock complex in the United States, and the only city stop that holds people for a full forty minutes without anyone checking a phone.
Officially the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, opened in 1917 to connect Puget Sound with Lake Union and Lake Washington. Salt water on one side, fresh on the other, a 26-foot difference, and a constant procession of yachts, fishing boats and tugs being lifted between the two. It is free and it never stops.
Beside the locks is a fish ladder with a glass-walled viewing room underneath it. Sockeye run from about mid-June to mid-July, chinook through August, coho in September. The ladder is normally drained for a fortnight in mid-May for maintenance — if that is your week, the locks themselves still perform.
What our drivers would tell you
- This is the one city stop we would fight to keep in a tight day. Everything else is a photograph; this is a thing happening.
- The Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden on the north side is seven acres and almost always empty.
Where it is
On these tours
- ✓The Seattle City Tour — 3h, from $405
- ✓Seattle in a Day — 6h, from $810
- ✓The Cruise Day — 6h, from $810
Nearby, and often on the same day
What else fits around Ballard Locks.
1h 15m
0h 15m
1h 15m
1h 15mBuild a day with Ballard Locks and see the price.
Tap the places you want on the home page. We work out the driving, tell you honestly if it will not fit, and show the whole vehicle price before you give us a name.