Salmon Stewards & Celebration

Every year, you are invited to help celebrate salmon’s journey home to Pipers Creek in Carkeek Park.

Salmon thrive in clean water!

Each fall, salmon return to Carkeek Park. From late October to early December, Chum salmon—and a few Coho, too—make their way up Pipers Creek to spawn.

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), Seattle Parks & Recreation, and the Carkeek Watershed Action Project collaborate to create unforgettable opportunities to see and learn about Seattle’s salmon.

See the salmon up close

Join us on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2026, for Carkeek’s Annual Salmon Celebration, a family-friendly event! Spanish translators on site.

Important Salmon Celebration Day parking information:

Please be aware that parking at Carkeek Park is extremely limited, especially during popular events like Salmon Celebration Day. To ensure a smooth and enjoyable visit, we strongly encourage you to consider alternative transportation. This year, we are providing a free event shuttle bus on November 21 from neighborhood parking areas.

• For the free event shuttle bus: Park behind QFC or Viewlands Elementary and hop on the bus. The shuttle will run from 10:30AM – 4:30PM and arrive at each location approximately every 20-25 minutes.
  • Stop 1: Cedar City Tree Care Facility (across from the QFC parking area)
  • Stop 2: Viewlands Elementary School
  • Stop 3: Carkeek Park Salmon Celebration Day event
• Bus or Carpool: The best options are to take public transit or carpool with friends and family.
• Park and Walk: If you drive, please plan to park near the Carkeek Park Environmental Learning Center, by the school, or in the nearby neighborhood and walk into the park along Piper’s Creek Trail at the Macabee Entrance behind QFC. The walk down to the creek is lovely and part of the experience. 

Four ways to keep our creeks clean

Year-round, we can take simple actions to keep our creeks clean and provide a healthy home for salmon to return to!

• Visit a car wash
  Taking your car to a commercial car wash keeps soap and grime out of the waterways where salmon live.
• Keep drains clear of fats, oil, and grease
  Fats, oil, and grease clog drains and pollute water. Placing them in your compost (small amounts) or landfill keep salmon safe.
• Scoop dog poop
  Bagging pet waste and tossing it in the trash prevents harmful bacteria from hurting fish.
• Plant a tree
  Evergreen trees are highly effective water filters, making creeks cleaner for salmon. And fall is the best time to plant them!;

Meet our Salmon Stewards

Want to learn more? Starting Oct. 24 through Dec. 5, volunteer Salmon Stewards will be available on Wednesday afternoons and midday weekends to help you spot the fish and answer questions about local salmon behavior, biology, and habitat.

Salmon stewards is a partnership between SPU and Seattle Parks & Recreation.