Ballard Locks aka: Hiram M. Chittenden Locks

It’s more fun to call this place Chittenden, rather than Ballard. It was cool to see the water level rise and drop to let the boats pass through. At first, I thought it was going to happen quickly and the boats were going to float by fast…but it was pretty slow. There are two grassy areas that looked like ladders surrounding the locks and I was wondering if it was made that way to keep with the theme.

This is my favorite place in all of Seattle. I could sit there all day and watch bosts go through the locks. I think my favorite time to go is in the evening in September when the evenings are startign to get cool. That time of year it’s not too crowded and the locks are full of Salmon swimming upstream.

The locks are an awesome shortcut from Ballard to Magnolia if you’re riding a bike.

Don’t expect to be dazzled. I’m still trying to figure out why people keep saying this is a destination. When I went, I didn’t see anything interesting. However, I didn’t go during the Salmon run and maybe that is more eventful.

This is the best place to spend an afternoon. You can read my full review of the Hiram Chittenden Locks at epinions.com by following the link below

http://www.epinions.com/content_108165500548

The Chittenden or “Ballard Locks”. My dad worked on the reconstruction of these back in the.. what.. early 90s? Alot of bird poop.. but the fish ladder is worth the visit! I have never seen so many fish, nor have I seen any so big!

Virtual Tour:
http://www.vrseattle.com/pages/browse.php?cat_id=75

Strangely simple, yet oddly fascinating.