Why Thousands of Chum Salmon Try to Cross This Washington Road Every Year By Drew MacFarlane

In the shadow of Washington's Olympic National Forest lies Skokomish Valley Road — a quiet, winding stretch of asphalt that leads to a number of fish hatcheries. The rural highway runs two lanes wide and sees pretty minimal traffic most of the year ... until the thousands of salmon appear. 

Each fall, like clockwork, the viral videos appear along with them: chum salmon after chum salmon, writhing and jetting across the flooded road no matter the depth of the water.

But how did they get there and why do they do it?

The answer is fairly simple: weather and instinct. The salmon that risk their lives to cut across the road are using the Skokomish River to find streams where eggs can be laid and fertilized, also known as spawning, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. 

-Jasmine Jathool