Coleman National Fish Hatchery

About Coleman National Fish Hatchery

Coleman National Fish Hatchery, located in Anderson, California, is the largest salmon hatchery in the contiguous 48 US states. Each year the hatchery raises over 13 million Chinook salmon and approximately 600,000 steelhead. Imagine feeding 842 metric tons of fish food per year! The Coleman NFH was established in 1942 to mitigate the loss of natural salmon spawning grounds as a result of the construction of Shasta and Keswick Dams

How to Get There

The hatchery is located beside Battle Creek, about 11 miles SE of Anderson, California. Turn E off Interstate 5 at Deschutes Road, then drive 2 miles, turn right onto Balls Ferry Road, drive 3 miles, turn left on A-17, drive 1 mile to Balls Ferry Bridge on Sacramento River, turn right, drive 1- 1/2 miles then turn left at the next road and drive to the station entrance sign.

Plan Your Visit to Coleman National Fish Hatchery

Heading to Coleman National Fish Hatchery? A few things to know before you go:

• Reservations: popular sites fill up fast — check Recreation.gov 6 months in advance
• Fees: day-use and camping fees vary; check current rates on the official park page
• Trash & pack-out: follow Leave No Trace principles
• Wildlife: store food in bear boxes where provided; never feed wildlife
• Weather: the 5-day forecast above is updated every 6 hours; verify just before you go

References & Official Resources

• Official Recreation.gov page
• View on OpenStreetMap
• Driving directions (Google Maps)