Bonneville Fish Hatchery
Bonneville Fish Hatchery, Northeast Herman Loop, Cascade Locks, OR, USA
7:30am - dusk
$
nature-center
Happyly is better in app
Get the Happyly app to discover more activities like this one, plus get curated adveture plans, build lists of activities to try and more!
Enter your phone number to receive a download link
Bonneville Hatchery is a year-round educational spot for kids of all ages.
Located along the beautiful Columbia Gorge, this hatchery is the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s largest fish hatchery. They use this facility for adult fish collection, egg incubation, and spawning of coho salmon.
The best time to visit the hatchery is September through October, when adult Chinook and Coho salmon are spawning. However, there are fish year-round here, so really, any time of year is good to visit!
The grounds are open seven days a week from 7:30 am until dusk. There are benches, picnic tables, and many beautiful flowers blooming in the summer months. This spot makes for a great lunch destination for the kids.
There are many display ponds here that have trout and sturgeon. The trout ponds have coin-operated machines that give out fish food which is always fun for the kids to feed the fish in the ponds. Bring quarters!
Flushing and ADA toilets are open year round, and a gift shop. There is a kiosk near the gift shop with a map of the area and a pamphlet you can take for a self-guided tour around the facility.
One of their biggest attractions at the hatchery is the sturgeon viewing center. This is where you can visit Herman the Sturgeon, who is approximately 10’ long, weighs 500 pounds, and is over 80 years old.
Make sure you drive to see the Bonneville Dam and Lock visitors center!
Nearby, the Robins Island Rec Area has a huge covered picnic area (which can be reserved for events), a grassy area to run, flush toilets, and a small playground.