Seattle In September - Hiram M. Chittenden Locks and Fish Ladder

One of our favorite places to walk around for a couple of hours while in Seattle is the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks and Carl S. English Botanical Garden, and the Fish Ladder - all just called the Ballard Locks for short by locals. The locks were opened in 1917 to allow ship passage from Puget Sound to Lake Union and Lake Washington. The fish ladder allows salmon to move upstream to spawn.

Follow the fish.

The viewing windows at the Fish Ladder are a lot of fun this time of year, when the salmon are making their way upstream. I get hungry just standing their looking at all that salmon.

The Carl S. English Botanical Garden, which is part of the complex, is also a nice place for a walk. We were there on the weekend of the fuchsia show.

Click here to see a few more images from the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, the Carl S. English Botanical Garden, and the Fish Ladder, taken during our September 2012 trip to Seattle.