bonneville hatchery

amcord

The fish ladder at the Bonneville Dam is very good on both sides of the river. The hatchery has a lot of information about fish and their life cycles. There is a pond where you can feed the fish. Another that has monster sturgeon you can even view them from an under water area. The area is so peaceful and calming. Great for the kids and easy access for adults as the area has a nice paved walkway and is mostly level. You won't want to miss this one.

parkcityut

The fish hatchery stars are the huge sturgeon. The grounds have a peaceful feel about them. We were there after many of the fish had been released so many areas of the hatchery were empty. However, Salmon were still coming into the gathering pond so you could see them up close. And the millions of Salmon eggs being incubated in trays was really impressive. When you learn how abundant Salmon were at one time and how fragile the population is now with the dams and continued fishing pressure, you appreciate the money that is spent to continue replenishing the species. Worth a visit by all ages

AnnArborMiBob

This fish hatchery has been in operation since 1909, and is enough of an attraction that it is visited by over a million people a year. The fishers in the group will want to drop a line into one of the rearing ponds (but don't!), and kids will enjoy visiting the famous Herman the Sturgeon in the sturgeon viewing area. (Herman is approximately ten feet long, weighs over 400 pounds, and is over sixty years old.) The grounds are nicely laid out, and worth a quiet stroll even if you don't give a hoot about the fish.

mailstop

Nice setting. Lots of fish. Sturgeon is neat. Not one of those places that's really exciting, but there is something satisfying about being there and seeing what goes on. We're glad we stopped.

Chouette222

Go see the sturgeon, Harry and see the other large bottom feeders. The hatchery was interesting and it took me back to the fish hatchery in Maine where I used to hang out as a kid!

Jakklz

When I asked the kids, 12 & 10, they said, "a fish hatchery; really?" They were not too enthused to go but as soon as we got there and started checking it out, they loved it! Highly recommend this place. Pay a quarter for some fish food and enjoy the fun! A very relaxing day and its free! You won't be disappointed to learn about salmon, trout, and sturgeon.

MLL_KLL

We spent a little over an hour touring the facility and watching the salmon, trout and sturgeon. This is a beautiful, well-kept establishment that provides great educational tools and viewing areas. The kids will love feeding the fish and the underground viewing area allows an up-close view of the sturgeon. Well worth the stop while traversing the Columbia River Gorge scenic highway.

mini

Bonneville Hatchery is a fascinating and beautiful place to visit. It is by the Bonneville Dam area of the Columbia River Gorge.We fed the trout in the trout ponds. We visited the gift store and enjoyed seeing the fish jumping sculpture in front of the store. The wooded area is so pretty. And the sturgeon viewing area and ponds are simply amazing.Its free and definitely worth a stop if in the area.

538cynthiaa

De[ending on what time of year you go (and I have been during many different seasons) you will observe fingerling fish in the hatchery tanks, always trout which you can feed in ponds (a kid favorite, and I've had a few adult friends pretty tickled with this too), you can observe salmon eggs, I know at one time, you could observe the salmon making their final swim upstream to return home to the the place where they were hatched. Can't attest to the availability of that anymore. And of course there is the famous Herman the Sturgeon and the Sturgeon pond which is mentioned elsewhere - a must see - sturgeon are "antique" fish - very interesting to see.

PDents

This place is worth a stop off whilst travelling up or down the gorge to see the large sturgeon that can be viewed from below water level.There's alsorts of other things to see and it's set in a lovely well kept location.

837gabee

Every time I've been to the Bonneville Fish Hatchery I've been rewarded with a great experience. I love to be able to see the fish up close and personal. My favorite is the Sturgeon viewing ponds where you get to walk underground and see these amazing creatures through a glass wall below the surface level.

BarbK303

We stopped here as we were driving through the gorge area. Cannot believe this is free - so many interesting things to see and learn about. We loved it.

Seahawksman

A great stop along the Lewis & Clark trail for the family (especially kids). You can feed how fish are cultivated, and see Herman an 80 year old, 10 foot sturgeon.

SnowyShasta

We went as a large family reunion group and had fun wandering the grounds before a nearby hike. The sturgeon in the viewing area are huge - my son was quite impressed! When we were there (late July) there wasn't really much going on in the hatchery itself, but we spent a few minutes in the visitor center/display area and the gift shop. It was a nice stop and a good place to relax.

LyshT

It was free to go here and appears very well taken care of. Great place to stop and stretch legs along the long trip from Boise Idaho to Portland Oregon. Large sturgeon was amazing and the flowers were beautiful. Good gift shop but bathrooms are small and only 2 stalls which were very crowded and had to squeeze through people to get to. Been here twice and Walked the grounds and enjoyed it both times. Interesting how they raise the fish and can feed them a handful of fish food for 0.25 cents.