Dworshak
OROFINO, ID 83544
Plan Your Visit
Dworshak National Fish Hatchery Complex is located at the confluence of the North Fork and mainstem Clearwater River in Ahsahka, Idaho, three miles west of Orofino, Idaho.
Spring Chinook Spawning will begin in August, followed immediately by Coho, then Steelhead, with spawning activities stretching into April.
The hatchery offers tours in two formats: self guided (using a provided brochure) and guided.
Guided tours typically take roughly 45 minutes to an hour, and self-guided tours can vary based on our visitor's pace. Both versions will take you inside and outside, and they are all walking tours. The hatchery is suitable for wheelchairs and slower moving visitors, with ramps and an indoor elevator as well. Tours are also suited for visitors of all ages. It is requested that all visitors refrain from climbing or touching any ponds, water, or any equipment.
The tours will take you to various sight-seeing points such as: the indoor spawning deck, the lobby with dioramas and videos, outdoor adult holding ponds, the fish ladder, views of Dworshak Dam, the Northfork, and the Clearwater main stem rivers. You can also see Chinook fry raceways, Coho fry ponds and steelhead fry ponds. During certain times of the year, marking trailers are on-site, clipping adipose fins.
Spawning almost always occurs on Tuesdays.
Please contact us for a guided tour.
Not sure what time of year is best to visit? Check out Dworshak's annual schedule!
Dworshak National Fish Hatchery is located west of Orofino, Idaho. To visit the hatchery, turn off State Highway 12 at the Orofino bridge and continue one block north. Turn left and follow State Highway 7 about 3 miles to the hatchery. Visitors are welcome to self-tour the hatchery from 7:30a.m. until 3:00p.m. daily. Please call in advance for information about group tours and dates of hatchery activities.
Featured Species
Get Involved
Dworshak manages a small crew of dedicated volunteers who participate in multiple onsite and offsite activities such as spawning, tending to hatchery grounds, tours, and outreach events. Many of our volunteers have been working at Dworshak for over a decade. They are dedicated and knowledgeable and are definitely part of our Dworshak crew. Want to volunteer? Call the hatchery at (208) 476-4591.
Partnerships are also a very important part of operations at Dworshak. Our partnerships come in various forms, from funding sources, to collaboration on projects, to outreach events. Some of our partners include the Nez Perce Tribe, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Idaho Fish and Game, local schools and colleges, and many other organizations and businesses.
Establishing close working relationships with outside agencies promotes unity for the cause of raising healthy fish and environmental conservation.
Services
Dworshak operates year-round with seasonal activities including:
- Winter: Steelhead spawning starts in January; Coho and Chinook eggs develop in incubation trays.
- Spring: Release of millions of steelhead and Chinook smolts; new fry are moved to nursery tanks or raceways.
- Summer: Adult Chinook return and are trapped for August spawning; juvenile fish undergo adipose fin clipping and tagging.
- Fall: Coho and early-run steelhead are trapped and spawned; Chinook eggs are kept on chilled water to slow development.
About
Located within the Clearwater River basin, the Dworshak Fisheries Complex consists of Dworshak and Kooskia National Fish Hatcheries, along with conservation and fish health offices. Established in 1969 to mitigate fish loss from the construction of the Dworshak Dam, the facility is now co-operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Nez Perce Tribe. The hatchery produces millions of steelhead trout, Chinook salmon, and Coho salmon annually. The site also holds cultural significance, as it was once the location of the largest inland fishing village for Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest.