Pacific Northwest - Washington

Hiram M. Chittenden Locks and Canal

A Karen Brown Recommendation

Just north of downtown, Puget Sound is joined to Lake Washington by an 8-mile ship canal and a system of locks that bisect the city from west to east. Named for a Brigadier General in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks and Canal were completed in 1917, allowing ships access inland to the then-coveted coal and timber resources on the eastern shores of Lake Washington. A Visitors Center at 3015 NW 54th Street features displays on the history of these structures and on the details of its current operation. (Hours vary seasonally: call 206-783-7059.) If you’ve never seen a lock in action, this is a good place to discover it for the first time. Some 100,000 boats of all different types pass through the lock system each year.

Located along this Karen Brown Itinerary:

Emerald City & North Cascades-Seattle & Scenic Loop

Traveler Reviews:
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Nearby Hotels and Bed & Breakfasts:
Listed Alphabetically, Not By Distance.

• Cliff House and Cottage
• Dove House, Chauntecleer, The Potting Shed
• Eagles Nest Inn
• Gaslight Inn
• Guest House Log Cottages
• Inn at Harbor Steps
• James House
• Salisbury House
• Saratoga Inn
• Selah Inn on Hood Canal