Bonneville Fish Hatchery

This is a great family friendly destination where you can easily spend a half a day, and if you're really slow, a whole day could go by. The hatchery has fish of every size that you can check out, from the little bitty "fry" to the great big sturgeon. There's a machine where you can buy fish food and get the fish really excited throwing it in. Hot tip: bring a cup for the fish food and quarters to buy it. The grounds are obviously maintained by a skilled master gardener with quite an artistic eye. Then the drive to the dam is interesting, especially if a barge comes through the lock and the road rotates on a pillar to let it by. The standard movie is really interesting and the gift shop is fun. The fish ladders which you can see outside are also mesmerizing. Overall a great experience.

Great place to visit when in the Columbia River Gorge region. The hatchery is beautiful and has thoughtful paths to walk, seating nooks, lawns and gardens. We saw fingerlings being raised for release, met Herman the Sturgeon, and a highlight was the returning spawning salmon! We could have watched them leaping for days! Gift shop is filled with unique items to remind you of your visit. A must stop when visiting the area.

First time visiting a Hatchery. Pretty cool. Weather was perfect in August. The place was well taken cared for and they also had a cute gift and coffee shop. Took a pic with Sasquatch “Bigfoot”! Love that you can also buy fish food for a quarter to feed the rainbow trout, so bring some quarters! Also saw a Herman Sturgeon that was 85 years old! Lots of parking and it’s free to visit. Enjoyed some Rocky Road fudge and hugged a Lawson Cypress tree ❤️

Scenery is nice. Staff is friendly. Always cool to gaze at fish doing their thing. Herman The Sturgeon was awesome to admire in person. The underwater viewing window for him and other fish was too cool.

So cool. Not only did we have a great time, with the kids fascinated for the entirety of our visit, but we are impressed at the layout and maintenance of the whole place as well, both from the standpoint of functionality, and as a tourist destination. Definitely worth a visit, and no doubt that our family will stop by again when we’re in the area.