After a weekend sailing trip, Diana Lind grabbed her video camera when she saw two grey whales near the Ballard Locks Sunday afternoon. On Saturday DDF wrote in the forum, “Was just at the beach, and a whale swam by very close to the shore. It wasn’t an orca (no dorsal fin), so I guess […]
Tag: Ballard Locks
Ballard Locks refilled after annual inspection
After two weeks of being “de-watered,” the Ballard Locks are full again. Robby sent us this photo of the water slowly being let into the large locks. “It is an interesting sight to see it being slowly refilled.” Here is a link to all his photos. Last week MyBallard had the opportunity to see the […]
A rare look at the Ballard Locks
Each year the Corps of Engineers “de-waters” the Ballard Locks, which is the official term for letting the water out, to scrape barnacles off the walls and make sure all the mechanical systems are working properly. This morning I had the opportunity to climb 55 feet down the scaffolding to the bottom of the large […]
Sidewalk construction detours runners at Locks
Sidewalk construction on the Magnolia side of the Ballard Locks is forcing walkers, runners and bicyclists to change their route. JR emailed us about the closure after coming upon the locked gate, “Not sure if that means no across traffic or not, but I could not find another way out.” Andrea Takash with the Army […]
Locks to be closed Monday morning
The Ballard Locks will be closed to boaters for much of Monday morning and possibly on Tuesday. The Army Corps of Engineers is sending divers down to check on the “Adult Salmon Exclusion Structure” that was installed last year to prevent Chinook salmon from getting snagged in the locks’ water system. Both the large lock […]
Expect busy bridges as boating season begins
Today is the opening day of boating season which reminds us that summer is just around the corner. As with any opening day, the Fremont bridge and Ballard bridge will be going up and down more than usual. Boats are beginning to line up for the annual parade at 8 a.m. with the actual parade […]
Small lock closed for maintenance
It’s that time of year at the Ballard Locks: the Army Corps of Engineers closed the small lock today through March 20th for its annual maintenance. “The large lock will continue to operate 24/7, and we will get the commercial traffic through as quickly as possible,” explained the Corps. “All pleasure boats will be using […]
Ballard Locks closes lawns, gardens
The snow-covered lawns at the Carl S. English, Jr. Botanical Garden next to the Ballard Locks are roped off with yellow caution tape. Turns out, people were sledding and trampling the lawn and garden beds. So this morning, crews put up signs and taped off a big portion of the botanical garden. The walkways, however, […]
See the how deep the Locks go
It’s time for the annual maintenance at the Ballard Locks, and the big lock is empty through Dec. 6. When they emptied it this time around, they found cell phones, a two-way radio, a boot and other miscellaneous stuff, including a pair of prescription sunglasses they were able to reunite with the owner.
Big salmon migration now at the Locks
Thousands of chinook salmon are making their way through the Ballard Locks right now, much to the delight of tourists and children. In fact, some of the chinooks are the size of small children. Today, several county, state and federal leaders including King County Executive Ron Sims held a press briefing near the fish ladder […]
Army to serve cake at the Locks
This weekend, the Army Reserve will celebrate 100 years of service with music, festivities and free cake at the Ballard Locks. The event will run from noon to 5 p.m., with the cake cutting ceremony at 3 p.m.
Ballard Locks briefly stuck on busy Sunday
My Ballard reader Brian sent us some photos from the very busy Ballard Locks, which became even busier when the middle gate on the large lock got stuck. “When they tried to shut it, it stuck about 3/4 of the way closed,” he writes. “They were able to open it but boats were stuck for […]
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