Visit Us

Winthrop National Fish Hatchery is located in Okanogan County in north central Washington, at 453A Twin Lakes Road, Winthrop, WA, 98862. The 42 acre site lies ninety miles north of Wenatchee and sits just outside the town of Winthrop. The Methow River flows through the northern edge of the property.

Directions: As you drive along State Highway 20 to Winthrop, look for Twin Lakes Road on the east end of town and follow the signs to the Hatchery. Come on in for a visit!

Activities

A masked, uniformed volunteer stands next to water-filled fish raceways with two visitors.
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Tour the Hatchery

Visitors are welcome to tour our hatchery. In summer, a volunteer may be on hand to show you around. Although our small staff is busy, we can help answer your questions, too.

A two story concrete structure structure
Something temporarily or permanently constructed, built, or placed; and constructed of natural or manufactured parts including, but not limited to, a building, shed, cabin, porch, bridge, walkway, stair steps, sign, landing, platform, dock, rack, fence, telecommunication device, antennae, fish cleaning table, satellite dish/mount, or well head.

Learn more about structure houses are returning adults from May to late August. A viewing window in the side allows you to see the fish.

Pets must be on a leash.

A family surrounds a toddler grasping a rainbow trout her father holds for her. Mom steadies her, and brother hands her a plastic toy hammer.
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Winthrop Kids Free Fishing Day

Everyone is welcome to this event, typically held on the grounds of Winthrop National Fish Hatchery the second Saturday in June. Activities and booths are set up outside so visitors can enjoy learning more about nature, salmon, and how we're all connected. Kids under the age of 14 are issued a "passport" to fill out, earning a chance to catch a fish in our pond! Staff and volunteers clean the fish for the children to take home and share with their loved ones. Join us during National Fishing and Boating Week for a great time outdoors!

Trails

A cyclist stops on a gravel trail to take a photo. Horses graze nearby, and the deep blue sky is dotted with puffy clouds on a fine spring afternoon.
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Bike or Ski the Trail

The Methow Valley Community Trail provides 34 miles of cycling, and a trailhead is located on the corner of the hatchery. Learn more about the trail system here...

Other Facilities in the Complex

Entiat, Leavenworth, and Winthrop National Fish Hatcheries are mitigation hatcheries established by the Grand Coulee Fish Maintenance Project (1937) to compensate for anadromous fish losses above Grand Coulee Dam. All three produce spring or summer Chinook salmon, and our Winthrop hatchery produces steelhead. 

As part of the Leavenworth Fisheries Complex, the Mid-Columbia Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office evaluates the hatchery production programs, provides technical assistance, and assists the coordination of operations and production. The Conservation Office cooperates with other Service programs, agencies, tribes, and entities using and managing aquatic species and their habitats in the mid- and upper-Columbia River Basin.

A man in waders and sunglasses holds up a large salmon horizontally with both hands.
Entiat National Fish Hatchery
Entiat National Fish Hatchery is located in the Entiat River Valley, not far from Wenatchee, Washington. When we were built in 1940, we served as a research facility to learn more about fish health. Our hatchery currently raises summer Chinook salmon.
National Fish Hatchery
Entiat,WA
Hatchery staff rinse off iodine used to sterilize female Chinook salmon before removing eggs
Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery
Leavenworth National Fish Hatchery is headquarters for the Leavenworth Fisheries Complex. When built in 1940, it was the largest fish hatchery in the world! Currently, we raise 1.2 million spring Chinook salmon each year. The hatchery is also home to the Mid-Columbia Fish and Wildlife Conservation...
National Fish Hatchery
Leavenworth,WA
Person in a blue inflatable kayak on a calm river
Mid-Columbia Fish and Wildlife Conservation Office
The Mid-Columbia Fish & Wildlife Conservation Office provides technical fisheries assistance and cooperates with Service programs; other federal, state, and local agencies; tribes, and various entities to conserve aquatic species and their habitats in the mid- and upper-Columbia River Basin.
Conservation Office
Leavenworth,WA

Rules and Policies

Please visit only during posted hours, typically 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Dogs must be on leash at all times.

Commercial activities must have a special use permit.

Locations

Winthrop National Fish Hatchery
(509) 996-2424
453A Twin Lakes RoadWinthrop,WA98862-9715