Photo:
A salmon in a stream near Seattle. Photo: iStock
Best places to see salmon spawn around Seattle
What can your children learn from a fish? Plenty — about determination, perseverance, and the weird and fascinating drama of nature.
Every year, Pacific salmon travel hundreds of miles through the ocean, navigating storms and slipping past predators and fishermen’s nets, relentlessly focused on arriving at the local streams where they were hatched. Their purpose: to mate and bury their eggs in the stream bottom before they die.
In September and October, sockeye and Chinook (also known as “king”) arrive in the area. In November, chum and coho take their turn in fresh water.
By the time the fish fight their way into the creeks, their sleek bodies have been transformed. Males’ jaws become hooked (female cohos also develop a less-pronounced hooked jaw), and their silver scales take on earthier tones. Chinook darken to copper; sockeye turn red with green heads; chum develop reddish stripes; and coho sport green backs and red bellies. They no longer eat, and white fungus often forms blotches on their skin.
While they’re alive, the salmon battle the current to swim upstream, and compete with each other to win mates and spawning spots. They die soon after spawning, and as they decompose, their bodies fertilize the streams.
Where can you take your kids to watch this action unfold? Spawning salmon are clearly visible from a number of local vantage points. It’s a chance for your family to get outdoors and learn about an amazing part of the region’s natural cycles. And don’t feel silly if you find yourself cheering on a fish fighting its way upstream — people do it all the time.
To check out the full list of sites, click the arrow above the image or the link at the bottom of each page. Or, jump to the salmon viewing site of your choice on the list below:
- Ballard Locks
- Cedar River
- North Creek
- Sammamish River
- Cottage Lake Creek
- Issaquah Salmon Hatchery
- Piper’s Creek
- Duwamish River
- Green River and Covington Creek
- Longfellow Creek
- Lake Sammamish creeks
- Deschutes River
First time out? Here are some tips:
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Editor’s note: ParentMap staff contributed to this article, which was originally published many years ago and is updated every year, most recently in August 2024 by associate editor, Kari Hanson.
First salmon stop: Ballard Locks
