SeatacSeatac Connection
Things to do in Seattle

Ballard Locks

Watch boats rise and drop between the lakes and Puget Sound, see salmon climb the fish ladder in season, and wander a free botanical garden on the Ballard waterfront.

Get a ride therePlan a Seattle trip with itTours nearby

The useful answer

Should this fit your day?

Best for
Families, boat and engineering fans, gardeners and anyone hoping to see salmon, at no cost.
Time to protect
Allow an hour to an hour and a half for the locks, the fish ladder and a loop of the garden. Add the Nordic Museum or lunch in Ballard for a half day.
Cruise-day fit
The locks are in Ballard, north of the Pier 91 cruise terminal across the Ballard Bridge, so they're an easy ride the day before or after a Pier 91 sailing. From Pier 66 it's a longer ride north. It's all outdoors and on foot, so drop your luggage first.
From the terminals
Pier 91 is the closer terminal, a few miles south across the ship canal. Pier 66 downtown is farther, through Belltown and Interbay. Neither is a walk.
Before a flight
There's no light rail to Ballard, and SEA is a long drive south. Fit the locks into an arrival day or a free day rather than the hours before a flight.

Make a Ballard morning of it

The locks are at the west end of Ballard, with the neighborhood's best stops close by.

  1. The National Nordic Museum

    A short walk east along Market Street: Viking-age finds, Nordic design and the immigrants who built Ballard.

  2. Old Ballard

    Keep going east to brick-paved Ballard Avenue NW, the historic main street, with a farmers market every Sunday.

  3. Time it for salmon

    For fish in the ladder, aim for July for sockeye and late August into September for chinook and coho.

Read the National Nordic Museum guide →

What to know before you go

  1. 01

    It's free: there are no day-use fees. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers runs the locks, the grounds, the fish ladder and the garden.

  2. 02

    Locals call them the Ballard Locks. They opened in 1917, named for Major Hiram M. Chittenden, the Corps' Seattle district engineer. They hold Lake Washington and Lake Union about 20 feet above sea level, keep salt water out of the lakes and lift boats between the lakes and Puget Sound.

  3. 03

    There are two locks, a small one and a large one 825 feet long, next to a spillway with six gates. Stand on the lock walls and watch the water lift or lower the boats.

  4. 04

    The fish ladder has 21 steps, or weirs, and a viewing room where you can watch salmon on their way up. The Corps' best-viewing guide: sockeye June to October, best in July; chinook July to November, best in the last two weeks of August; coho August to November, best in the last two weeks of September.

  5. 05

    The Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden is named for the horticulturist who worked here for 43 years. It holds more than 570 species and 1,500 varieties of plants from around the world, laid out like a romantic English landscape garden, with eight dawn redwoods to look for.

  6. 06

    Both floors of the visitor center are accessible, and so are the fish ladder viewing room and the lock walls. A few loaner wheelchairs are first come, first served. Leashed dogs are fine outside; only service animals go indoors.

  7. 07

    Free guided tours of the locks, the garden and the fish ladder run from May through September, and groups of eight or more can book a tour all year.

  8. 08

    The north parking lot is small and city-run, with pay stations, so getting dropped off is easier.

  9. 09

    Want to go through the locks on a boat? Argosy Cruises' one-way Locks Cruise runs between the downtown waterfront at Pier 54 and South Lake Union, with live narration.

Visitor center days change with the season, and salmon runs vary from year to year. Check the Corps of Engineers page before you go.

Tours and activities

Tours that visit the Ballard Locks

Entry itself is free. These well-reviewed tours include it, with current prices. Check a date to see open start times, then book with Viator.

Tours are sold and run through Viator; booking opens viator.com in a new tab, and Viator confirms the final price and time. Seatac may earn a commission.

Free to visit, with tours nearby

There's no ticket for the Ballard Locks: just go. If you'd like a guide, a harbor cruise or another stop the same day, start here.

  • Tickets and tours

    Argosy one-way Locks Cruise

    Ride through the Ballard Locks on a narrated cruise between the downtown waterfront at Pier 54 and South Lake Union.

    See times and tickets

  • Tours and activities

    Seattle tours and tickets

    Guided tours, attraction tickets and day trips around Seattle, including options near the Ballard Locks.

    See tours and tickets

Opens a booking partner in a new tab; Seatac Connection may earn a commission. For current notices, see the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chittenden Locks page.

Get a ride there

Drop-off: Ballard Locks (Hiram M. Chittenden Locks), 3015 NW 54th Street

Starting from

Your fare is worked out for the exact trip on the next step, before you pay. Want the car to wait while you visit? Book by the hour.

Cruise day: the Ballard Locks between the ship and your flight

Off the ship with a few hours before your flight? Book the ride from the pier and the ride on to the airport now, so each driver knows where you are going.

  1. Step 1

    Ride from the pier

    Pier 91 is the closer terminal, a few miles south across the ship canal. Pier 66 downtown is farther, through Belltown and Interbay. Neither is a walk.

    From Pier 66From Pier 91

  2. Step 2

    Visit the Ballard Locks

    Allow an hour to an hour and a half for the locks, the fish ladder and a loop of the garden. Add the Nordic Museum or lunch in Ballard for a half day.

    Tours nearby

  3. Step 3

    Ride on to Seatac Airport

    There's no light rail to Ballard, and SEA is a long drive south. Fit the locks into an arrival day or a free day rather than the hours before a flight.

    Ballard Locks to the airport

Big bags

  • Pier 66: Same-day bag storage is available. Pick bags up by 3 pm to avoid a late fee.
  • Pier 91: Same-day bag storage in the Crew Center, north of the Ground Transportation Center. Pick bags up by 3 pm to avoid a late fee.

Stored bags mean a stop back at the pier before the airport. To keep them with you instead, book a car by the hour and the driver waits with your luggage.

Planning the whole cruise trip? Keep the Ballard Locks on it with the rides around it.

Plan the whole cruise trip

Not sure which pier? Find your ship and pier or compare Pier 66 and Pier 91.

Next stop nearby