Sol Duc’s leaping salmon usually wrap up by early November, but chum in Seattle and coho in Marin are just getting going

Everyone knows the salmon leap at Sol Duc. Fewer people know the show usually wraps up by early November, right when the rest of the coast gets going.

Here’s where to see spawning salmon in Washington, Oregon and California this month, and what to do about the one spot that’s probably done for the year.

---

Psst, we made you a West Coast Adventure Map. Nearly 1,900 of our favorite spots, already pinned, ready to load into Google Maps in two clicks: grab it here.

---

Sol Duc is mostly a September and October show

The Salmon Cascades on the Sol Duc River in Olympic National Park are the classic, with coho throwing themselves up a rocky drop. Local reports put the run from late September into early November, so a trip now is a long shot.

The viewing platform is a 190-foot walk from the trailhead, according to the National Park Service. Getting into Olympic costs $30 per vehicle, good for seven days, so don’t make the drive just for fish that may already be gone.

If you’re on the peninsula anyway, the park service says a small Hoh River tributary near the Hoh Visitor Center nature trail is a good coho spot in November and December. Ask a ranger what’s running before you walk out.

Seattle’s Piper’s Creek is the easy win

Carkeek Park in north Seattle (950 NW Carkeek Park Road) is where I’d start. Chum usually move into Piper’s Creek from late October through early December, and November is your best shot.

Watching is free, and volunteer Salmon Stewards usually staff the creek on November weekends to point out fish and answer questions. Keep dogs leashed, stay on the trails, and use the viewing areas so nobody tramples the banks.

Oregon’s coho and Chinook want a November visit too

Oregon’s fish and wildlife agency says November is the month for coho in the Clackamas County area. Wildwood Recreation Site on Highway 26 near Welches, a BLM site, has a fish viewing window and walking paths along the Salmon River, a Sandy River tributary.

On the north coast, Cedar Creek Hatchery east of Hebo on Highway 22 lets you see adult Chinook and steelhead in its holding ponds from July through February. It’s open dawn to dusk, seven days a week.

The agency’s salmon viewing guide lists dozens more creeks and rivers. Check that access is open before you head out, because fire-related closures can linger.

California’s big show is just starting

Lagunitas Creek in Marin County hosts one of the largest wild coho runs in California, and it builds from late fall into a December and January peak. The classic stop is the Leo T. Cronin Fish Viewing Area at Shafter Bridge on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, at the east edge of Samuel P. Taylor State Park.

Parking at the pullouts is tight. If it’s full, the state park is your backup at $8 per vehicle, open 8 a.m. to sunset, with creekside viewpoints at Camp Taylor and a flat walk along Devil’s Gulch.

These coho are endangered, so stay out of the creek and keep your distance. River otters hang around hoping for an easy meal, so keep an eye out for them too.

How to watch without wrecking the run

Stand back and bring binoculars. Oregon’s biologists ask you not to walk on redds, the shallow nests females dig in the gravel. Polarized sunglasses cut the surface glare, which makes the fish far easier to spot.

Don’t be bummed by beat-up fish or a carcass on the bank. That’s actually a good sign: the salmon finished the job, and their bodies feed the stream.

Heading out this weekend? Tell us in the comments which creek you hit first.

Trip tips: grab a rental car to get out here, lock in your hotel before the good rooms are gone, or skip both and book a camper van instead.

Rules and fees change, so always confirm current requirements before you go.