Leadville
Plan Your Visit
Leadville National Fish Hatchery provides many exciting visitor opportunities, as well as gives back to the local communities. Open to the public, the hatchery welcomes visitors for a close-up view of the fish production process. With over 36,000 visitors annually, the dedicated volunteer hosts at the Visitor Center bring the hatchery experience alive.
In addition to the hatchery experience, visitors also have a bounty of nearby recreational opportunities to explore!
- Leadville is located at the main trailhead access into the Mt. Massive Wilderness Area, with access to the 14,000-foot peak, Mt. Massive. There are many hiking opportunities including the Rock Creek, Highline, and Kearney Park Trails, which all originate on hatchery grounds. These three trails intersect with the Colorado Trail in the Mt. Massive Wilderness Area, offering different routes to hike a loop starting and ending on the hatchery.
- Be sure to bring your binoculars for the spectacular wildlife viewing, such as mountain blue birds, juncos, jays, hawks, eagles, waterfowl, elk, deer, porcupines, fox and pine martins.
- Educational programs/tours may be provided for organized programs and school groups during business hours by appointment. Tours are dependent on staff availability.
- The hatchery also participates in local public outreach activities, such as the Annual 5th grade Pathways to Fishing Program, and supports local community activities, such as the Fish Hatchery 5K running race. Partnerships with Friends of the Leadville National Fish Hatchery, Lake County, Trout Unlimited, U.S. Forest Service and Colorado Outward Bound School continue to help provide many recreational opportunities for visitors.
Activities
More Activities
Featured Species
Get Involved
The hatchery uses volunteers year-round, but need the most help from May through September to help with spawning, fish culture, outreach activities, and facilities projects. Come for a day or stay for the summer at one of the two RV pads with full hookups! If staying rent-free in Leadville for the summer while providing ~20 hours/week of assistance to the hatchery sounds enjoyable apply through volunteer.gov or contact the hatchery directly.
If you want to be involved with the hatchery, consider joining our Friends group! The group is a 501c3 private non-profit organization and membership is free, it is a great way to stay involved. The mission of the group is to support the Leadville National Fish Hatchery and its historical significance, promote conservation ethics through education, improve outdoor recreational opportunities, and enhance the facilities for community events.
Working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people.
Services
As the aquatic habitat changes from natural (drought, flood, habitat destruction) or human influences (over-harvest, pollution, habitat loss due to development and dam construction), the natural production of fish declines. The stocking of fish is one of the many management strategies used by biologists to help replenish the populations for years to come. In recent years, Leadville National Fish Hatchery has provided between 125,000 and 200,000 fish annually to support fishing in the Fryingpan-Arkansas drainage and throughout Colorado.
Leadville's efforts also support recovery of the four endangered fishes in the Colorado River. To meet the trout production demands, Leadville National Fish Hatchery facilities include 16 raceways and 20 nursery tanks. Over 55,000 angler days of recreational fishing in Colorado valued at over $2,740,000 are a result of the stocking efforts.
About
Established in 1889, the Leadville National Fish Hatchery is the second oldest federally operated hatchery in the United States. Located at an elevation of 10,000 feet, the facility's 3,072 acres of subalpine forest provide an ideal location for trout production using cold, clean water supplies. The historic main building, constructed of native red sandstone, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and still serves the hatchery's mission of providing trout for the Rocky Mountain Region.