The Ballard Locks on a Seattle city tour

What are the Ballard Locks?

The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, completed in 1917 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, lift and lower boats between fresh-water Lake Union and Lake Washington and salt-water Puget Sound.

Beside the locks are a fish ladder with underwater viewing windows and the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden. Visiting is free. The visitor center is open daily from May to September and Thursday to Monday from October to April, as Lonely Planet lists it; the history is in the Ballard Locks entry on Wikipedia.

Which Seattle tours stop at the Ballard Locks, and for how long?

All the city bus tours here stop, for 15 to 30 minutes on the listings; the hop-on hop-off bus does not go there.

What can you see in 30 minutes?

Enough for the lock chambers, the fish ladder windows and a look at the garden, if you head straight from the bus.

Guests describe watching boats being lowered in the locks, and some guides explain how the locks and the salmon run work. Listing times are approximate, and the guide sets the day's order, so your time can be shorter or longer.

Afternoon free? This 3-hour tour lists 25 minutes at the Locks, plus Kerry Park.

★ 4.9 · 3 hours · from $89

Explore the 1 PM bus tour from the Hyatt Regency → Tour details

When can you see salmon at the Ballard Locks?

The main salmon run is from about July to September, when sockeye, chinook and coho pass up the fish ladder.

July and August, in the middle of the run, are also Seattle's driest months. Come outside the run and you may see few salmon in the windows, although the boats and the garden are there all year.

Will you see sea lions at the Locks?

Possibly: several guests across different tours report seals or sea lions at the Locks going after salmon, but wildlife is never guaranteed.

One guest on the flagship wrote that they saw sea lions going after salmon, and another named "the seals at the lock" as a favourite. On the Hyatt Regency tour, one guest wrote that the guide called the seals over. The reviews that mention them date from June to October.

Is 15 minutes at the Locks enough?

For a quick look at the boats, yes; for the fish ladder and the garden too, it is tight, so choose a tour with 25 or 30 minutes.

Opinions differ: several guests name the Locks as a highlight, while one guest on the flagship felt the tour spent too long there. If the Locks are your priority, the flagship and the Snoqualmie Falls tour list the longest stops.

Can you visit the Ballard Locks on your own?

Yes, it is free; but a tour saves the trip out to Ballard and combines the Locks with Fremont, Kerry Park and Fishermen's Terminal.

The Snoqualmie Falls tour adds the falls themselves, Fremont and 20 minutes at Fishermen's Terminal, and meets at the Pike Place Market information booth by 9:45 AM. The flagship stops 10 minutes at Fishermen's Terminal after the Locks.

Want a waterfall too? The half-day tour adds Snoqualmie Falls to the Locks and the Fremont Troll.

★ 4.9 · 4 hours · from $94

Explore the Seattle and Snoqualmie Falls tour → Tour details

How does the Locks stop fit into the day?

On the flagship's listed route it comes late in the loop, after Queen Anne Hill, the Lake Union houseboats and Fremont, and before Fishermen's Terminal.

With the flagship listed at about 4 hours, the Locks stop falls in the second half of the tour; see how long the 3 Hour tour really is. Prices for every tour are in Seattle city tour prices.

Frequently asked questions