Join Puget Sound Estuarium and Capitol Land Trust (CLT) to witness one of nature’s most extraordinary displays of migration and resilience. Every fall thousands of chum salmon return from the Pacific Ocean to Johns Creek at our Bayshore Preserve where their lives began. Here they spawn, marking the transition of one generation of salmon to the next.
Salmon docents and underwater cameras will be at Bayshore Preserve on November 9, 10, and 11 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Docents will be there to answer your questions about salmon behavior and our salmon habitat restoration efforts at Bayshore Preserve. It’s a great family-friendly activity! Don’t forget your polarized glasses for better salmon viewing.
Special Events at Salmon Experience
- Saturday, November 9, 10-2p: Shelton Timberland Library kids activity and prizes
- Saturday, November 9, 10-2p: Spanish/English interpretation available
- Monday, November 11, 10-2p: Spanish/English interpretation available
Capitol Land Trusts’ conserved public-access preserves give families and individuals year-round opportunities to enjoy outdoor experiences and create fond memories in nature that will last a lifetime. The return of salmon in the fall makes our Bayshore Preserve a particularly exceptional destination. Follow CLT Facebook and Instagram and Puget Sound Estuarium on Facebook and Instagram for updates.
Contact Capitol Land Trust at (360) 943-3012 or info@capitollandtrust.org.
FAQ
Salmon docents will be at Bayshore Preserve on November 9, 10, and 11 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. They will be there to answer your questions about salmon behavior and our salmon habitat restoration efforts at Bayshore Preserve. Look for their bright orange or green vests.
Puget Sound Estuarium will have underwater cameras set up at two salmon viewing locations to live stream the underwater action. See the underwater activity as if you were swimming with the salmon!
Docents in orange or green vests will be stationed at salmon viewpoints shown by the red numbers on the trail map below. The Johns Creek Trail and the Johns Creek Estuary Trail are great places to watch the salmon make their way upstream. The bridge that crosses Johns Creek along the Lookout Trail is also a great spot. Visit each station to see the salmon at different point along their migration from the estuary.
If you are visiting on a day when no docents are present, you can take the trail map with you on your phone and learn more about the preserve during your visit using our self-guided interpretive Google Map. The best salmon viewing stations are listed as red fish icons on the map.
Using polarized glasses will help you see salmon in the water.
There is an ADA compliant portable toilet and hand sanitizer available for use (marked in yellow on the map above).
The parking lot is paved. There are no curbs blocking access to the preserve from the parking lot. Since there are no designated van-accessible parking spaces, let our parking attendants know and they can block off extra space for you.
The trails are mostly flat, except for a hill leading down to the bridge. See trail descriptions below.
The Main Loop Trail (0.8 miles, in pink on map) is a mostly flat path that is a mixture of gravel and compacted dirt (old roadbed). Traveling clockwise, it starts as gravel then transitions to compacted dirt after about 300 feet. The trail is three feet wide or wider.
The Lookout Trail (0.2 miles, in green on map) goes down a hill with a moderate, 100-foot-long slope towards a bridge crossing Johns Creek, and then continues on at about the same grade and length uphill on the other side. The bridge does not have a lip and is nine feet wide. There is a handrail about four feet high. After the short incline past the bridge, the trail becomes relatively flat.
Johns Creek Trail (0.26 miles, in yellow on map) goes down a short but moderate decline towards Johns Creek. From there the trail crosses the Lookout Trail and continues along a relatively flat, but a little bumpy, two to three-foot-wide dirt trail. Where Johns Creek Trail meets back with the Main Loop Trail there is a 100-foot moderate incline.
Johns Creek Estuary Trail (0.13 miles) is a two to three-foot-wide dirt path with a small dip about 300 feet (halfway) down the trail. It is compacted dirt. It can get muddy at the end of this trail because of the tides and rains.
To get to Station 1 from the parking lot: About 300 feet to travel over a paved parking lot and gravel trail. Continue past the kiosk and stay right at the fork. There is a viewing area to the right of the bridge as well as from the bridge.
To get to Station 2: There are two ways to reach Station 2. Start out along the Lookout Trail and turn left onto Johns Creek Trail or the Main Loop Trail. Travel distance is 950 feet using the Lookout/Johns Creek Trail. Travel distance to Station 2 is about 1,500 feet using the Main Loop Trail.
To get to Station 3: There are two ways to get to Station 3. Start out along the Lookout Trail and turn left onto Johns Creek Trail or the Main Loop Trail. Travel distance is about 2,100 feet to get Station 3 using the Lookout/Johns Creek trails. Travel distance is about 2,200 feet using the Main Loop Trail.
Address: 3800 WA-3, Shelton, WA 98584.
Do not turn onto Bayshore Drive. Bayshore Preserve’s parking lot is immediately off Highway 3 across from the Texaco gas station.
Transit Options: Mason County Transit route 1 and Dial-A-Ride. (There is not a marked bus stop at Bayshore Preserve, so you will need to communicate to the bus driver where you are going and flag them down for your return trip.)
Visiting Bayshore Preserve is free. The paved parking lot around the yellow metal gate is available from dawn to dusk. There are about 15 spots. On Salmon Experience days overflow parking will be available north of the cement blocks. Please note that overflow parking is only available for Salmon Days from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm on November 9, 10, and 11. Look for a sign that says “Salmon Experience Parking” across from the gas station. Overflow parking will be set up as a one-way.
For additional parking, drive north along Highway 3 to the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife’s parking lot, located here. Please note that a Discover Pass is needed for this lot.
We recommend you leave your dogs at home when experiencing the salmon run. Not only do we see a peak number of visitors during this time, but also fatal diseases can be passed from fish carcasses to dogs. Should your dog become sick after having contact with a fish carcass consult a veterinarian immediately.
During other times of the year dogs are welcome at the preserve and must be kept on a leash for the safety of people and wildlife.
