Fall Salmon Viewing Guide: Where to see the region’s favorite fish run

Fall is here, and Chinook, coho, chum and sockeye salmon are returning to streams and rivers around Puget Sound to spawn. Many return to the waterways where they hatched. They swim upstream, compete for mates and spawning spots, and die after spawning. Their bodies provide nutrients that help support the next generation and the surrounding ecosystem. Below are some places to get a glimpse of this journey.

Protect the fish

What you will find and what to look for

How do human helpers assist salmon returning to local waterways to spawn? Checkout the these two articles:

• “What happens when spawning salmon return to Seattle’s Carkeek Park“
• “Family Review: Visiting a hatchery during salmon season“

Issaquah Salmon Hatchery: The Issaquah Salmon Hatchery is open daily for self-guided visits. Check the hatchery’s current guided-tour options before visiting. Visit issaquahfish.org for more information. The hatchery is located at 125 W. Sunset Way in Issaquah.

“We visit the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery every year so our daughter can see and feed fish. This is one of the easiest spots to safely watch the salmon in Issaquah Creek, which runs right through the hatchery,” says local mom and writer Vizhi Thirusangu.

“Pair it with playtime at the Gibson Park playground, located right behind the hatchery across the road,” says Thirusangu. Issaquah’s annual Salmon Days Festival takes place during the first weekend of October, celebrating the salmon’s return.

Watch Chum and Coho at Carkeek Park’s Piper’s Creek (Seattle): Look for returning chum and coho in November and early December. Carkeek is an accessible place to watch spawning salmon within Seattle city limits.

See Sockeye on the Cedar River Salmon Journey (Renton/Maple Valley): The Seattle Aquarium’s 2026 schedule lists Renton Library, Cedar River Park, Riverview Park, Belmondo Reach and Cedar Grange as best spots to watch. Naturalists are available on selected October dates. Go to the aquarium’s salmon journey webpage for tour details and kids’ activities.

“We heard this spot is a terrific one to catch fish in action, but when we visited during the second week of September to get a look at Salmon, but no luck,” says Thirusangu. “According to the Seattle Aquarium, the best time to spot Salmon in this river is in October.”

Self-guided salmon viewing at the 90th Street bridge in Redmond (Redmond): Look for salmon migrating along the Sammamish River toward spawning streams, including Bear Creek. The bridge crosses the Sammamish River, not Bear Creek. September and October are seasonal viewing opportunities; check current sightings before visiting.

Duwamish River Hotspots for Fall Salmon Migration (King County): Visit three sites – Codiga Park, Duwamish Gardens Park and North Wind’s Weir – on the Duwamish River to look for Chinook, coho and chum migrating to upstream spawning beds. Check out the county’s SalmonSEEson page for updated information. Check out DuwamishAlive.org for information river restoration efforts and special events.

Kelsey Creek and the Mercer Slough Fish Ladder (Bellevue): In October are likely to on 118th Avenue Southeast, just south of Southeast Eighth Street in Bellevue and at the west tributary at Kelsey Creek Farm Park. A webcam provides views of the creek. Call or email for updates before you go: 425-452-5200 or [email protected].

Salmon viewing at Lake Sammamish State Park: Look for salmon near where Issaquah Creek flows into Lake Sammamish. Returning fish swim from the lake up the creek toward the hatchery and upstream spawning areas. The seasonal viewing window is mid-September through mid-October. Check State Parks’ current access alerts before visiting; the park currently lists the Issaquah Creek and Tibbetts Creek bridges as closed. A Discover Pass is required for vehicle parking unless an exemption applies.

Rare Kokanee Spawning at Ebright and Lewis Creeks: If you are patient and lucky at these two creeks, you might see this smaller salmon variety. They are the same species as sockeye but spend their whole lives in freshwater streams and lakes. From early November through late January, these native fish run at creeks feeding into Lake Sammamish. The native population has suffered severe declines and remains the focus of recovery efforts, with King County reporting hopeful signs of recovery in 2025. Check King County’s kokanee information and salmon-viewing map before visiting.

Other spots for viewing salmon

These additional locations offer seasonal salmon-viewing opportunities. Check each site’s migration window and current access before visiting.

Seattle

• Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, Seattle (Ballard). Sockeye, Chinook and coho pass through the Ballard Locks during summer and fall, with Chinook counts typically running from late July through September and coho counts from early September into October. The fish ladder and underwater viewing windows make this one of the easiest places for kids to watch migrating salmon up close.
• Longfellow Creek, West Seattle. Coho return to Longfellow Creek in late fall, and Dragonfly Garden is a good place to begin exploring the creek. For kids, it’s an opportunity to discover that spawning salmon can be found in a stream running right through a Seattle neighborhood — and to learn how pollution and stormwater runoff affect urban salmon.

East

Tolt-MacDonald Park bridge (Carnation). The park’s suspension footbridge crosses the Snoqualmie River near its confluence with the Tolt River. Look for salmon in the river during fall, although sightings are not guaranteed. The park also offers riverside trails and reservable campsites.

North Sound

• North Creek, Bothell. Fall is prime salmon-viewing time in North Creek. Follow the paved trail from the creek’s meeting point with the Sammamish River, south of the UW Bothell/Cascadia College campus, north through North Creek Business Park and check beneath the bridges, where fish sometimes gather. Kids can look for different species as the season changes, from Chinook in late summer and September to sockeye, kokanee and coho later in fall.

Renton and the Green River Valley

• Renton Library. Here’s what Thirusangu found on a recent visit: “Renton Library is built over the river and is an amazing spot to watch salmon runs with. The fact that it’s in a library only makes the outing more adventurous. Best watching here is from October-November, when numbers peak.”
• Green River, Auburn and Green River Valley. The Green River supports Chinook, chum and coho, with several public parks and river-access points offering opportunities to look for migrating salmon in fall. Watching from a bridge or riverbank gives kids a bird’s-eye view of how salmon navigate a much larger river on their journey upstream.
• Soos Creek Salmon Hatchery, Auburn area. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife lists Soos Creek Salmon Hatchery, at 13030 Auburn-Black Diamond Road, as a King County salmon-viewing location. A working hatchery offers kids a different look at the salmon story, with the chance to see returning fish while learning about the role hatcheries play in managing salmon populations.

Further afield

For even more places to look for salmon, explore the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s statewide salmon-viewing guide and map.

• Quilcene National Fish Hatchery. Check with the hatchery for current visitor hours and salmon-viewing opportunities.