fish ladder

nobikiniforme

Quiet place tucked at the riverbank, fascinating to watch the fish jump and a challenge to photograph. Also nice views of the river and some of the bridges.

688carolynf

My engineer cousin, my architect cousin, my other out-if-town guests and my siblings have all been treated to a visit to this structure. I had never seen a fish ladder before I moved to Grand Rapids, so I was wowed! Well, so were my house guests! The park area surrounding the fish ladder is so inviting with lots of shade trees. There are restrooms near by. And, if you are the lucky person watching the flow of the river, you will see the fish jump from one level to the next to get above the dam. The river is usually spotted with fisher-men below the dam to complete the picture. Many people come here--local and tourists.

rmrmsix

No cost .. family viewing.. and the fish are alway sight to watch.. Outdoors year round great viewing!

Bankerchas

This is really a series of water falls that allow salmon migrating up the Grand river to jump from one pool to a higher one working their way up the water falls until they are at the top and can return to the Gran River above the dam. Well worth the visit particularly when salmon are migrating their way up the river in the fall.

SusanzM

Handy parking lot short walk from the fish ladder. Enjoyed the artistic nature of the fish ladder and saw some (big) fish even though it wasn't migrating season. For a longer visit head downstream along the riverside walkway.

FussyTravelLovers

Weird little thing that allows salmon to travel upstream over dam to spawn. Very interesting when there are lots of fish running, less so at other times, but it does have good free parking, connects with the downtown GR riverwalk which is nice and you often can watch peolple fishing.

alpw

Let me preface this review with this: I am from Grand Rapids, MI. I lived there from 1962 to 1988, so now you know how old I am. I've been to the fish ladder many times, most recently Memorial Day weekend 2014. The fish ladder is a sight to see when the salmon are running. It is a nice place to go to when it's nice out. And there's a little area to have a picnic, there are picnic tables there. There is also a park along the river on the opposite side of the river. Not much else. My husband and I did spent about an hour there, but we did have time to kill.Regarding the review by dorothy1121: the reviewer complained that a photo was not accurate and was a joke. I must correct her: the river does get low enough that allows fishermen to walked out into the river to fish. I've seen it many times. As far as the picnic tables, there were two within my sight on shore. When the river is low, I can well imagine fish men dragging it out there for a little rest.

445melvinl

Great place to visit! It's fun to watch those fishes jumping and climbing the fish ladder. It's a free attraction with parking on site. Must see if you are visiting Grand Rapids!

Claire42256

Just a great place to be out in nature but still right in the city. The river is so nice and there are paths to walk along.

Dorothy1121

This photo is a joke on you. This is NOT the fish ladder. I suggest you remove it. There is no picnic table in the middle of the water flow. And I don't know where the guy came from.The real fish ladder is fun to watch but especially in spawning season.You cannot trust whoever sent the photo. I may live in Wisconsin now but my family lives in Grand Rapids and I get that way at least twice a year. Please remove that photo! I'll get a better one next time I get there.

AMEarlygirl

If you go anytime other than salmon spawning season the only thing you will see are the resident carp.

Calhu

The most interesting thing for me in this visit was watching a young fisherman (probably about 10) land a nice steelhead which I would estimate at 12-15 lbs. I did not see any fish climb the ladder when I was there on a windy Saturday. A picnic table in the middle of the river doesn't add to the scenery.

pjktd

Used to be one of the only fish ladders in the country but not sure if that's the story today, but when the fish are climbing, it's a fun place to watch!! Hard to imagine them being able to do it but you can see it with your own eyes!!!

wayfairers

One of the better fish ladder viewing areas we have visited. Nice walkway along the river too. Highly recommend seeing a fish ladder at least once in your life because it is so interesting watching the fish jump up the ladder. Free and you can take as much (or little) time as you want to watch the fish.

TDrum

Interesting attraction in GR. Definitely worth seeing. I will warn you that it usually seems down there. Nice path to take walk and enjoy the scenery. Free parking .