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Ballard Locks, Seattle, WA

Photo: Unknown Photographer / US Army Corps of Engineers, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

SightseeingFamily FavoriteLocal Gem

Ballard Locks

Watch boats rise and fall between Salmon Bay and Puget Sound, then see migrating salmon through the fish ladder viewing windows.

3015 NW 54th St · Seattle, WA

About Ballard Locks

The Ballard Locks, operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers and formally opened in 1917, lift and lower boats between the freshwater of Salmon Bay and the salt water of Puget Sound. You can stand beside the large and small locks as vessels pass through. Below ground, a viewing gallery looks into the 21-weir fish ladder where salmon climb upstream. The Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Gardens and a visitor center share the grounds.

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  • #fish ladder
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What's around here?

The closest stops to Ballard Locks, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

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    National Nordic Museum

    Check prices

    A Ballard museum showing Nordic history, art, and culture, from ancient times to today, with a focus on Nordic immigrants in the Pacific Northwest.

    0.3 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Museums
    Iconic

    Seattle Art Museum

    $25–$50

    Downtown Seattle's encyclopedic art museum with collections spanning global cultures, plus a waterfront sculpture park.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    0.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Museums

    Bakke Coffee Museum

    No admission fee

    A Ballard museum of coffee history featuring a collection of espresso machines, grinders, and brewing artifacts.

    0.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sightseeing
    Quirky Fun

    Fremont Troll

    No admission fee

    Climb on an 18-foot concrete troll crushing a real Volkswagen Beetle under Seattle's Aurora Bridge.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    2.5 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    Local Gem

    Kerry Park

    No admission fee

    The small Queen Anne hillside park behind that postcard skyline shot of Seattle and Mount Rainier.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    3.0 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing

    Seattle Center

    Check prices

    Public arts, entertainment and attractions campus in Lower Queen Anne, beneath the Space Needle.

    3.6 mi awayMore like this