Best places for viewing salmon runs
Every fall, the salmon make their way back to where their life cycle began. The South Sound has some great places to view the various stages of this return starting with the Fifth Avenue bridge in late August in downtown Olympia. Here the salmon are leaving the salt water of the Puget Sound and entering the freshwater, in this case the Deschutes. Watch as the seals grab an easy meal. Many birds such as the herons sit along the banks also grabbing scraps that come along.
Soon after, the salmon make their way to Tumwater Falls where you can watch them jumping along banks of the stream trying to make their way upstream. There are fish ladders to assist this journey with some fantastic viewing areas. The parks department generally has a festival in late September with plenty of fun activities for the whole family.
Final Journey
Kennedy Creek has great viewing points for the final leg of the journey which includes watching the salmon spawn, typically in mid-November. As the month progresses, anticipate seeing less spawning fish and more carcasses. This scene can seem pretty gruesome at the end and fair warning, it can smell. But it’s still a spectacular site to see.
Kennedy Creek also has many docents volunteering their time to enhance the experience and answer questions about the life cycle. Please remember to thank these people who are often spending time in inclement weather to make a greater experience for their community. Definitely check the schedule because typically the area is closed for student field trips during the week and is only open to the public on weekends.
