Sunny Walter's
Washington Nature Weekends

Links to Web Sites with Salmon Viewing Locations

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Where to View Salmon in Washington
  • Newspaper Articles about Where to View Salmon
  • King County DNR Info on Salmon Viewing Locations
  • Washington State WDFW Info on Salmon Viewing Locations
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Links to Salmon Festival Sites
Greater Puget Sound East
  • Issaquah Salmon Days Festival
    • (early October)
    Salmon Days  or 425-391-9019
    (see Washington Nature Weekends book)
  • Salmon Homecoming Celebration  (mid-September)
    • Seattle Aquarium on Pier 69
    Aquarium  or 206-386-4300 or 206-386-4320
    (see Washington Nature Weekends book)
Puget Sound West
  • Wild Olympic Salmon
    • PO Box 585,  Chimacum, WA 98325
    Salmon  or  360-385-9329

Eastern Washington

  • Wenatchee River Salmon Festival
    • (late September)
    Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery
    (see Washington Nature Weekends book)

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Links to Salmon Open House Sites
Columbia Gorge
  • Columbia Gorge National Fish Hatcheries
    • Hatcheries  or 509-538-2242     All New URLs 9/17!
    Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter salmon viewing at:
    • Carson NFH
      • (3 miles east of Stevenson on SR 14, then 14 miles north)
      • Open House - late June
      • Salmon spawning begins on Mondays and Tuesdays in August
    • Spring Creek NFH, Underwood
      • Visitors Weekend - late September
      • Spawning generally continues daily from Sept. 15 - Oct. 1
    • Little White Salmon NFH, Stevenson
      • 509-538-2755 (13 miles east of Stevenson on SR 14)
      • Spring chinook salmon run peaks in July
        • Fall chinook & coho salmon run from Sept - Nov

Seattle
  • Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, Seattle
    • Salmon Runs  or  206-783-7059 (Visitor Center)
    • Wildlife Days and Environmental Days - August
    • Sockeye - June, July
    • Chinook and Coho - Sept, Oct
    • Steelhead - late fall and winter
      • Sea lions - Sept to early summer

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Links to Newspaper Articles
Seattle P-I Outside
  • Spawning Spectacle,
    • Greg Johnston, 9/18/97
  • Swimming with Salmon,
    • Kristin Dizon, 9/21/0

Seattle Times Archives

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Links to King County Info on Salmon Viewing Locations
King County Department of Natural Resources
  • Cedar River Salmon Journey
    • Join volunteer naturalists at sites along the Cedar River to view salmon  in late October and early November
  • Salmon Viewing Locations
    Watch returning salmon at:
    • Bear and Cottage Creeks (late Sept thru mid-Oct)
    • Issaquah Creek (mid-Sept thru Nov)
    • Covington Creek (Sept & Oct)
    • Cedar River (Oct/Nov)
    • Snoqualmie River
    • Raging River (Fall City)
    • Soos Creek
    • Green/Duwamish River

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Links to Washington State Info on Salmon Viewing Locations
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)
  • WDFW Weekender Report
    • (bi-weekly report on where to go in Washington for fishing, hunting and wildlife viewing opportunities during that season)
    • Late August
      • Merwin Hatchery  (10 miles east of Woodland on Hwy. 503)
        • Summer-run steelhead adults, tiger muskie, juvenile steelhead and sea-run cutthroat can be seen from the viewing deck.
      • Ice Harbor Dam on the Snake River in SE Washington
        • (six miles east of Pasco on Hwy. 124, then three miles north at the Ice Harbor Dam sign)
        Watch migrating steelhead and chinook salmon coming up the fish ladder through the visitor center public fish-viewing window. Both species starting to show up in good number as river water temperatures drop with the advance of fall.
      • Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery Complex
        • (south on Icicle Road, off Highway 2 west of Leavenworth)
        Spectacular adult salmon, some weighing 30 pounds, can be seen in the hatchery and river. Displays and interpretive trail.
    • Mid-September
      • The fall chinook run is nearing its peak at Bonneville Dam with thousands of fish passing the dam daily. Try the Washington side fish ladder for an underwater view.
    • Late October
      • Some WDFW fish hatcheries that focus on chinook salmon production are winding down, but others are in full swing with the arrival of coho and chum salmon. Minter Creek Hatchery near Purdy (12710 - 124th Ave. Ct.) is a good bet because it produces all three species.
      • View spawning Rimrock Lake kokanee in the North Fork Tieton River between Rimrock and Clear Lakes until the end of October. An occasional bald eagle and lots of osprey can also be seen feeding on the kokanee carcasses in that stretch.
    • Early November
        • See the action of fall chinook, silver and coho salmon runs. In southwest Washington, take an autumn drive down Kalama River Road, off Exit 32 on I-5.  Fallert Creek Hatchery, the oldest, is about two miles east of the freeway.  Interpretive panels explain the life cycle of the salmon, and juvenile fish still may be viewed this time of year. Continue up the road about nine miles to Kalama Falls, the Upper Hatchery, where there's an interpretive center and adult fish are viewable.
    • Late November
        • Kennedy Creek Salmon Trail meanders through a five-acre site that is currently chalk-full of spawning chum salmon. The property has been restored with a trail bridge, boardwalks and interpretive signs explaining local flora and fauna  (just north of the Mason-Thurston county line, off U.S. Highway 101 near Shelton)

  • Other Salmon Viewing Locations - Washington Wildlife Viewing Guide, Joe LaTourrette
    • Bonneville Dam, Stevenson (Columbia Gorge)
      • Fall chinook runs peak in September
      • Coho, sockeye salmon and steelhead trout (June - Fall)
    • Fortson Mill Ponds, Darrington
      • Chum and coho salmon (mid-Oct - Jan)
      • Pink and chinook salmon, steelhead trout (Aug - Sep)
    • Lower Monumental Lock and Dam, Connell (Snake River)
      • Spring chinook (April through summer and fall)
      • Fall chinook (peaks in late Sept)
      • Steelhead trout (peaks in Sept or Oct)
    • Makah Bay and Cape Flattery, Neah Bay
      • Salmon migration up the Sooes River
    • Mountain Loop Hwy. Gold Basin Pond, Granite Falls, South Fork Stillaguamish River
      • Pink, chinook and coho salmon (Oct - Feb)
    • North Cascades Hwy. Newhalem (north of Marblemount)
      • Chinook, pink, coho and chum salmon (Aug - Dec)
    • Tumwater Falls Park, Olympia, Tumwater
      • Chinook and coho salmon (~6000, mid-Sept - early Nov)

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URL: http://www.sunnywalter.com/Whereview-WNW-SalmonLinks.html
Links checked and updated on:  September 17, 2004
Text and photos are copyright © Sunny Walter  (unless otherwise noted)
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