Ballard (Hiram M. Chittenden) Locks (with kids)

Great place to visit in Seattle for free. The area includes a fish ladder, botanical garden, visitor centre, boat crossing arrangements from fresh water lake to sea and vice versa. The design and construction was done many years ago and well maintained. Boat crossing view is wonderful where the water level is changing by opening and closing the gates.

This was such a beautiful and relaxing place to visit. It was interesting watching the locks and how they work. We were able to see the wild life and sit and enjoy the boats. They also had a beautiful garden to walk through and enjoy the beautiful flowers.

​This was my first time visiting a navigation lock, and it was incredible to see. On one side, the water level is high, and on the other, it's low. When a ship arrives, the lock gates close behind it, trapping the vessel inside. The enclosed area is then filled with water from the high side, which lifts the ship up to match the higher water level. Once level, the front gates open, and the ship pas...

A bit of a walk to the Locks but the area is beautiful and peaceful. Got to see the locks open and close for ships to pass through and that was brilliant. Seeing the salmon swim through the ladders was an experience - there's a viewing centre near the ladders that you could see the salmon swim through and on the occasion we were there there was a seal swimming around preying on the seal.

We came here on a Saturday early evening in August after hearing about it from someone in line behind us at the space needle. This is a nice outdoor activity and area to see wildlife and boats go through the lock. They have a salmon ladder that is viewable from inside an informational area. We saw several blue herons, plenty of salmon, two small personal boats go through the lock and a couple sea...