The American Falls Fish Hatchery is located on the north bank of the Snake River, a ½ mile below the American Falls Reservoir Dam and 2 miles from the town of American Falls.
2974 S. Hatchery Rd.
American Falls, ID 83211
United States
From Interstate 86, take Exit 39 onto Highway 39 and head north toward Aberdeen. After crossing the American Falls Reservoir Dam, turn left and then immediately left again. This is Fish Hatchery Road. Follow the road for one mile (crossing over the railroad tracks) to the hatchery. The primary funding source for the American Falls Fish Hatchery is IDFG fishing and hunting license dollars.
The hatchery sits on 101 acres adjacent to the Snake River. The hatchery building contains 14 concrete vats. Outside there are 20 concrete raceways.
Water for the hatchery comes from Rueger Springs, which has an annual average flow of 20 cubic feet per second and a constant temperature of 56°F. The spring is monitored by the Idaho Department of Water Resources and is part of the vast Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer.
The primary mission of the hatchery is to rear approximately 325,000 catchable size Rainbow Trout. These fish are stocked in waters statewide for anglers to catch.
The hatchery also produces fingerling Rainbow Trout, Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout, and Yellowstone Cutthroat x Rainbow Trout hybrids.
Visitors are welcome at the American Falls Fish Hatchery from dawn to dusk, 365 days a year. There are public restrooms, a picnic area and a public fish viewing station. Many visitors enjoy self-guided tours and feeding the large rainbow trout that swim behind the boulders at the fish viewing site. Guided tours are available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day by reservation. Call (208) 226-2015 to make an appointment.
The hatchery also has a self-guided nature trail on the property, which is Site #7 on the Idaho Birding Trail – Southeast Region https://idfg.idaho.gov/ibt/southeast. This can take from 30 minutes to 2 hours to complete, depending on the route chosen. Bald eagles, osprey, ducks, swans and a variety of other birds can be seen from the nature trail.