Features
Wildflower Galleries
It may be arid, but the Monument comes alive in the spring with wildflowers. Here are some of our most colorful.
Wildflower Galleries
Hanford Bats
Legend. Myths. Folklore. Bats figure prominently in our primal fears, the things that scare us in the chill dark of the night. Are we silly!
Bats
Rare Species
"The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant: 'What good is it?'" – Aldo Leopold, Round River
Rare, Threatened or Endangered Species
Insects
The Monument is paradise for entomologists. Especially lepidopterans. You have to find out what that means.
Insects
Elk
What do visitors want to see? The White Bluffs, of course. Coyotes, deer and birds have their fans. But everyone wants to see the massive elk found here.
Elk
Rattlesnake Mountain
May 02, 2016The Rattlesnake Mountain Access Public Scoping Report is now available. If you have any problems viewing it, please call (509) 546-8300.
Rattlesnake Mountain AccessAbout the Complex
The Mid-Columbia River Refuges are eight refuges within the Columbia Basin.
Hanford Reach is managed as part of the Mid-Columbia River National Wildlife Refuge Complex.
Learn more about the complex About the NWRS
The National Wildlife Refuge System, within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, manages a national network of lands and waters set aside to conserve America’s fish, wildlife, and plants.
Learn more about the NWRS
Of Special Interest
October 28, 2016Scared of spiders? Terrified of toads? Bewitched by bats? You shouldn't be, and we're happy to tell you why. Join us at for Screech At The Reach at the Hanford Reach Interpretive Center (1943 Columbia Park Trail, Kennewick) to explore the myths and truths about the creatures of Halloween. Adults, you'll want to be there at 5:30 p.m. sharp–that's when we'll have a lecture about these scary denizens of the night. Immediately after that (6:15), we'll have tables set up for kids to construct clothespin bats, dissect owl pellets, make owl masks, or stroke a wolf pelt. Blue Mountain Wildlife will be on hand with live owls, and there will be spiders and snakes and scorpions. Experts will be on hand to talk about these creatures, or the Monument itself. The Reach will be open until 8:00 p.m. Normal admission fees apply, but if you bring a canned good for Second Harvest, you'll get $2 off the admission fee. Remember, 5:30 p.m. sharp!
Want to see more animals on your trip to the Hanford Reach National Monument? Here are some tips from the "experts."
Watching Wildlife
Once a national wildlife refuge itself, Saddle Mountain National Wildlife Refuge still exists, but as part of the much larger Hanford Reach National Monument.
Learn more
Page Photo Credits — Kangaroo Rat - Chuck & Grace Bartlett, Globe-mallow - Gordon Warrick, Little Brown Myotis - Ann Froschauer/FWS, Sage Thrasher- Tim Lenz, Monarch Butterfly - Jane Abel, Elk - Walmart, Elk In Snow - Cathy Haglund, Saddle Mountains - Rich Steele
Last Updated: Sep 19, 2016