Visit Us
D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery and Archives provides many exciting visitor opportunities, as well as gives back to the local communities. Open to the public, D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery and Archives welcomes visitors to the historic hatchery and museum for an educational close-up view of the fish production process.
With over 180,000 visitors annually, the dedicated staff and volunteer hosts at the Visitor Center and Museum bring the hatchery experience alive with educational hatchery and museum tours and exhibits. Educational programs/tours are provided for the public and school groups during business hours. The hatchery has also worked closely with the Spearfish school system to develop an on-sight curriculum for all teachers K-5th grade.
Some of the many exciting recreational, cultural, and educational opportunities are:
- Touring the museum
- Historic superintendents house tours
- Replica Fish Car #3 tours
- Underwater fish viewing
- Feeding the fish
- Fish ponds and raceways
- Birdwatching
- Photography
- Hiking the nature trails
- AFS Fish Culture Hall of Fame
- Special events
- Nature Store
- Yellowstone Boat
Come join the hatchery staff and volunteers for year-round festivities and celebrations! D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery and Archives hosts an array of public events, including:
- Father’s Day Brunch
- National Fish Culture Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies
- Booth Day
- Family Creek Fair
- Hot Rods for the Hatchery
- December Hatchery Holidays Celebration
For more information on hatchery events, visit the Booth Society friends group web page at http://dcboothfishhatchery.org/
D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery is just one of the many field stations of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service whose mission is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.
Activities
Come face to face with huge trout in the underwater viewing area, explore the Fisheries Museum, see the inner workings of a fish rail car, and tour the historic 1905 superintendents house—all by stepping onto the unique and historic grounds of the D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery.
Related Documents
Directions
From I-90 Interstate: Exit 12 travel West on Jackson Blvd, Turn left on Canyon St, Continue south six blocks.
From Spearfish Canyon: Hwy 14A – Turn left at stoplight on Colorado Blvd, Turn left on Hudson St, Turn left on Canyon St. -drive 6 blocks to City Park.
NOTE: Spearfish Canyon via Winterville Road to Canyon Street is closed to thru traffic during summer months.
For a map of the grounds, click here.
Other Facilities in the Complex
National Fish and Aquatic Conservation Archives
The mission of the National Fish and Aquatic Conservation Archives (NFACA) is to assemble, preserve, protect, interpret and make accessible to researchers the history and technology of the federal fisheries program. The bulk of the collection focuses on the history of fish culture, fisheries management, the U.S. Fish Commission, U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, National Fish Hatchery System and the overall history of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The 10,000 square foot Arden Trandahl Collection Management Facility serves as a Department of the Interior standards compliant archival center.
Locations
Spanning 10 acres, the entire hatchery site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Ponds, rock walls, water systems and buildings contribute to the site’s historic significance. Although many alterations have been made on the site over the years, each change tells a story about hatchery operations.
Two hiking trails outline the boundaries of the hatchery site and serve as firebreaks. The trails offer scenic overlooks of the grounds and take you to historic sites such as reservoirs and the mort pit.
Visitors can get up close and personal with brown and rainbow trout by feeding them from above or watching them through the underwater viewing windows. Visitors can feed the fish 365 days a year, as the grounds are open from dawn to dusk.
From I-90 Interstate: Take Exit 12 and travel west on Jackson Blvd, turn left on Canyon Street and continue south six blocks to the hatchery parking area located in City Park adjacent to the fish hatchery.
From Spearfish Canyon: Hwy 14A – Turn left at the stoplight on Colorado Blvd, then left on Hudson St, then turn left on Canyon Street and drive six blocks to City Park. NOTE: Spearfish Canyon via Winterville Road to Canyon Street is closed to thru traffic during summer months.