All eyes will be focused on the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery as Chinook and coho salmon migrate back to the creek this fall and early winter. The hatchery facility will take center stage for two upcoming salmon-related events, the Salmon on Sunset Boogie, Bites & Brews, on Sept. 14, and the 55th Issaquah Salmon Days on Oct. 5–6. (Photo by WDFW)

Late summer and fall provide a front row seat to prime salmon viewing opportunities unique to Washington

For eons, salmon have made their way through many Washington waterways, migrating out from the freshwater environment into the Pacific Ocean, and then making the long journey back to spawn only to have their offspring continue this magnificent lifecycle.

This natural circle of life may seem inconsequential to many, but salmon are very beneficial to other sea life and wildlife, they enrich the habitat and have important cultural and economic significance to our state. Washingtonians are lucky enough to have a front row seat to view a salmon’s migration path back home during late summer, fall, and early winter.

Hundreds of Chinook salmon are milling in Issaquah Creek and the bridge at the hatchery facility offers great views. (Photo by WDFW)

Fish and wildlife watching in Washington is big business. According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), 4.3 million Washington residents participated in fish and wildlife watching, and viewers in the state spent $5.8 billion on these activities in 2022. You can find more information in the recent National Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife Associated Recreation survey on the WDFW website.

Salmon represents a unique viewing opportunity with hundreds of viewing sites across Washington. Every year around this time, dedicated docents, educators, and volunteers take time out of their days to teach those who come to these salmon-filled waterways and hatcheries.

The recently renovated Ballard Locks fish viewing facility in Seattle near Shilshole Bay provides visitors a front seat view of Chinook, coho and sockeye salmon migrating into the Lake Washington watershed. (Photo by WDFW)

Watching salmon in the Lake Washington watershed

One prime salmon viewing site resides right in Seattle’s backyard.

The Lake Washington watershed, which includes Lake Sammamish, its many creeks and streams and two major salmon hatcheries on Issaquah Creek and the Cedar River, are home to a variety of salmon, including Chinook, coho and sockeye, and right now thousands of them are making their way back home.

Two easily accessible salmon viewing locations are the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery and the Hiram M. Chittenden Ballard Locks.

The Issaquah Salmon Hatchery features 37 educational exhibits and interactive displays, an aquarium room that shows the salmon life cycle from egg to smolt, a native plant garden, a rain garden, fish rearing ponds, fish ladder with underwater windows, and viewing decks and a bridge over Issaquah Creek.

The Ballard Locks Fish Ladder is a modern innovative salmon education center that was recently renovated through public donations. The viewing room has large unobstructed glass windows to see migrating salmon, video monitors with educational content, an interpretive display wall, a revamped indoor seating area, “Salmon Waves” and sea creature stainless steel art sculptures, and a clear panel for ADA-friendly viewing. Along the adjoining walkway on both sides of the canal you can view other wildlife including herons, seals, sea lions, sea birds and boats traveling through the locks. The next phase of ongoing projects at the Ballard Locks is a cultural piece that recognizes Native American fishing history and contributions including joint work efforts at the Locks by the Muckleshoot and Suquamish tribes.

You can also find more salmon viewing areas around the state by going to the WDFW website.

Chinook salmon stop to rest in front of the Ballard Locks viewing window before migrating to their final spawning destinations. (Photo by Mark Yuasa)

Salmon Festivals at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery

• If you’re looking to celebrate these returning fish, there are two salmon-related festivals happening in Issaquah including the Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery (FISH) Salmon on Sunset Boogie, Bites & Brews on Saturday, Sept. 14, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Visitors can view salmon in the creek, feed trout, participate in a duck derby, enjoy live music, food trucks and a variety of beverages, and kids’ art, a scavenger hunt and family fun. The event is free to attend, and the FISH Kids’ Swag Pack, Feed Trout & Crafts is $5 by Sept. 13.
• The Issaquah Chamber of Commerce is hosting the 55th Issaquah Salmon Days on Oct. 5–6 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily with numerous activities, and more than 110 booths featuring arts and crafts artisans, food, and many other vendors as well as kids’ activities and a beer garden for adults throughout the downtown Issaquah area. The Kiwanis Salmon Bake will be located on the south side of the hatchery where they’ll be grilling up 900-plus pounds of salmon for festival goers.

The first salmon was spotted at Issaquah Creek on Aug. 11, and thousands more will be making the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery their final destination. (Photo by WDFW)

• If you plan on attending either of the two events stop by the WDFW booth located at the hatchery to learn more about the agency’s work. WDFW will be conducting an on-site visitor survey to learn more about salmon viewers and the value that viewing opportunities provide Washingtonians and other visitors. Please take the time to complete the survey if you have the chance! All information provided will be kept confidential and will help WDFW plan future viewing opportunities and resources.

Here are some “fishy fun facts and figures” about the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery and the Lake Washington watershed.

• The Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, located at 125 West Sunset Way in downtown Issaquah, was built in 1937 as one of the many public works projects carried out during the Great Depression. The hatchery is open to visitors 365 days of the year from dawn until dusk. It features 37 educational exhibits and interactive displays, an aquarium room that shows the salmon life cycle from egg to smolt, a native plant garden, a rain garden, fish rearing ponds, fish ladder with underwater windows, and viewing decks and a bridge over Issaquah Creek. The hatchery grounds are flat, mostly paved, and are ADA accessible.
• Upon arriving in the Shilshole Bay Ship Canal, salmon make their way up the Ballard Locks fish ladder, through Seattle Ship Canal, Lake Union, Montlake Cut and Lake Washington, then up the Sammamish Slough and into Lake Sammamish until finally arriving at Issaquah Creek.
• The journey can take a Chinook salmon as quickly as a few days or as long as a month to travel roughly 42 miles from the Ballard Locks to Issaquah Creek. The varied time range depends on many factors including weather dependency, water temperatures, and the arrival timing of the salmon themselves as they transition from saltwater to the freshwater environment.
• The first salmon of 2024 arrived at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery on Aug. 11 and there are currently hundreds of Chinook in the creek.
• Chinook migrate upstream from August through mid-October and spawn in mid-September through mid-October. Coho migrate upstream from September through late-November and spawn from late-October through early-December.
• During the late fall and winter, millions of eggs from female and milt from male salmon are harvested. WDFW hatchery staff and FISH volunteers help harvest eggs on Tuesdays beginning in late September. They are then placed in incubation trays in the hatchery building. After hatching, the salmon fry are transferred outside to the rearing ponds (raceways covered by netting to prevent predators from accessing the ponds), with Chinook placed in the ponds at the front of the building, and coho in ponds just across from Issaquah Creek.
• The Issaquah Salmon Hatchery releases around three million juvenile Chinook and roughly 500,000 yearling coho are released in the spring. Chinook and coho are released when they are transitioning from the fry to the “smolt” stage. The hatchery also raises rainbow trout that are released at certain times of the year into nearby lakes that generate recreational fishing opportunities.
• Salmon stats from 2023: About 5,900 adult Chinook were trapped for spawning; about 9,800 adult coho were trapped for spawning; about 3.5 million Chinook eggs were placed in incubation trays; about 1 million coho eggs were placed in the incubation trays; about 500,000 coho smolts were released this past April; and about 2.7 million Chinook smolts were released this past May.
• If you’re unable to visit the hatchery, you can watch livestreaming via the Issaquah SalmonCam as adult salmon swim in the creek and attempt to jump the weir, an artificial and removable barrier in Issaquah Creek.
• Grant funding from WDFW’s Watchable Wildlife Program helps support the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery and funding from the Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery helps support raising fish and programs at the hatchery. Teachers can also book a school field trip at the hatchery facility. The “FISHop” gift shop is open on weekends from August through November. Purchases support the FISH mission and help extend education and outreach to those who might not be able to afford it otherwise.
• While summer tends to be a quiet time at the hatchery, it is also worth stopping by the hatchery’s native plant garden as well as the wetland. Keep your eyes and ears ready to experience additional wildlife like waterfowl, kingfishers, mink, muskrats, songbirds, bald eagles, and more.