5th avenue bridge

You can see beautiful mountains, the state capitol, and the water from the bridge. When in season, you can also view the Salmon run from the bridge, worth a visit.

Located in down town Olympia, the bridges are a great place to watch the salmon swimming upstream to the Deschutes River. During the run (September and October) there are often people there to help you spot the salmon and to tell you all about the run. The bridges are close to Heritage Park, restaurants and down town shops.

The dam is very harmful to Olympia and Budd Inlet. The sidewalk in front of the dam is narrow and dangerous.This dam needs to be removed and Deschutes Estuary restored.

This is a great place to see the salmon run (there are hundreds of large salmon!) and the associated seals diving for salmon, blue heron and other critters. It is a great view of the area.

I drive this bridge regularly and really haven't noticed anything of interest. It's a nice bridge in that it gets me from downtown to the west side.

Informative and a great place to watch the boats and ships.

A little background for people visiting. The bridge is the main way to get to the Westside and has been replaced several times over the years. The last time was when the 2000 earthquake sank it like the Titanic. No one was hurt and we got a new bridge out of the deal. It has a nice place to look out over the water toward the Olympic mountains and it looks nice lit up at night. Otherwise, it's a bridge.

The city has volunteers, during migration season, who can answer questions and help you identify what you are seeing. They are very helpful and it is a fun stop, even for a few minutes.

In the fall, you can see the salmon traveling upstream. Front row seats.

A must visit during the annual Salmon run in the fall. Views of salmon and sea lions against the majestic background of Budd inlet, the Olympic Mountains, and the state capital.

Just stand on the bridge and watch the fish. You need to catch it just when there is a run on so watch local press.Usually end Oct- Nov.

While driving through downtown Olympia in mid-September, I saw signs up on the 5th Avenue Bridge announcing "SEE THE SALMON HERE." I enjoy nature watching and photography, so when I was done with my errands, I parked across the street by Capitol Lake Park and went over to check it out. To my amazement, I saw dozens of salmon schooling in the water by the bridge. The 5th Avenue Bridge, which crosses the Deschutes River, has a small dam with a fish ladder running through it. Volunteers from Puget Sound's Stream Team, a nature stewardship group, have marked the viewing area with signs and information on the salmon's life cycle and migration through the Sound. They also have "Salmon Stewards" who can answer questions and direct visitors to other areas in Olympia where one can view migrating salmon. (Tumwater Falls Park is the other place in Olympia where people can watch salmon: I didn't go there this time, but it's another attraction in the Olympia area worth visiting.) Another treat was the variety of other wildlife that had gathered to take advantage of the easy pickings the salmon made for them. In a half hour's viewing I saw harbor seals, a heron, dozens of sea gulls and other shorebirds feeding. It's surprising there could be so much wildlife in an urban area. (You can't forget that, btw: 5th Avenue is a heavily-trafficked route leading from downtown to West Olympia. The drone of cars was always in the background, unfortunately.)Some notes: the parking lot by Capitol Lake Park along 5th Avenue is small, and on a nice day it's hard to find an open spot. There is a large for-pay lot near the bridge that is almost always empty, but if you can leave your car at your hotel and walk the three blocks from downtown to the bridge, you can make this a completely free experience. Also, the salmon show at the bridge runs only from September thru October. You can still see the salmon in Tumwater Falls and its hatchery later in the fall. It's rare to be able to see such an abundance of wildlife on the edge of a downtown area, especially for free. Also, Olympia is a lovely place in the fall (provided the rain doesn't knock all the leaves off of the trees). Given the cost of this attraction, it's worth a leisurely stop.