Eagle Creek
Estacada, OR 97023-9732
Plan Your Visit
Visitors can enjoy a scenic forest setting along Eagle Creek, featuring fish viewing year-round—from salmon eggs and fry to returning adult coho—plus vibrant seasonal pollinator gardens, bird-watching, photography, painting and even foraging opportunities.
School groups and tour parties are invited to schedule guided visits to learn about the hatchery’s extensive coho restoration and spawning efforts—administered in partnership with tribal and regional conservation programs.
Juvenile fish are on station year-round. Adult coho salmon return in late September, October, and November. On selective days during the return months, visitors can watch the hatchery crew spawn fish. The staff at Eagle Creek is willing to answer questions and provide tours as we have time available.
Our hatchery is improving habitat for native pollinators. We have a pollinator garden with over 25 species of native plants, an edible berry garden, and an information kiosk. Ladybugs return by the hundreds at the hatchery. Did you know that a group of ladybugs is called a "lovliness of ladybugs" and they can be seen throughout the facility in our pollinator gardens.
Eagle Creek National Fish Hatchery is located approximately 40 miles southeast of Portland, Oregon. The hatchery can be easily reached from I-205 via State Highway 224 driving east towards Estacada. One mile past the intersection with State Highway 211, turn left onto Wildcat Mountain Drive for 2 miles, turning right onto Eagle Fern Road. Follow Eagle Fern Road another 7 miles, past Eagle Fern County Park and continue up Eagle Creek on George Road. About four miles past Eagle Fern Park, turn right onto Rainbow Road and follow it for 2 miles, ending at the Eagle Creek hatchery.
Activities
Featured Species
Get Involved
Discover for yourself what tens of thousands of volunteers have learned: Volunteering for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is fun and rewarding in many ways. Master new skills. Meet new friends. Enjoy a sense of accomplishment from doing your part to further wildlife conservation. Click the link below to learn more about volunteering or becoming a hatchery host!
Services
Eagle Creek National Fish Hatchery raises approximately 850,000 coho salmon annually. The hatchery releases 350,000 coho on site, while 500,000 coho are transferred to the Yakama Nation to support coho restoration projects in their watersheds. The coho program operates as a segregated harvest program within the Clackamas and Eagle Creek watersheds, with returning hatchery-origin adults used exclusively for broodstock. We also participate in work study programs for Mt. Hood Community College Fishery Technology students and have outreach programs for area schools.
About
Eagle Creek National Fish Hatchery was authorized under the Mitchell Act to compensate for salmonid losses in the Columbia River basin due to dams. Today, the facility raises approximately 850,000 coho salmon annually to support commercial, sport, and tribal restoration projects. The hatchery operates using a gravity-flow water system from Eagle Creek and a spring for winter egg incubation.
Our partners include Friends of the Northwest Hatcheries, the Yakama Nation, the Nez Perce Tribe, and the National Marine Fisheries Service.
Eagle Creek is part of the Columbia River Gorge National Fish Hatchery Complex.