Fish Hatchery

The Puyallup Fish Hatchery sits on over 80 acres and welcomes visitors year-round during daylight hours. The onsite Educational Center is open on Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm, staffed by volunteers from the Puyallup Historical Hatchery Foundation. 

In 1949 the hatchery opened and began primarily raising trout to supply area lakes for fishing purposes. It is operated by the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife. In 2012 the community stepped up to prevent the facility's proposed lease for commercial operations. Within months it was placed on both the State and National Historic registries and a non-profit was created to partner with the state to provide watershed education. Major renovations were completed in 2020 which included replacing all the leaking waterlines, upgrading, and modernizing the interior of the hatchery building, and installing new raceways and ponds, giving it a whole new life. 

The hatchery now raises over 700,000 Chinook per year to help with salmon recovery, along with Coho and trout. 

Through a partnership with the Puyallup School District and the Puyallup Historical Hatchery Foundation, a 4th grade STEM program began in 2016. Classes of young students arrive at the hatchery in the fall when salmon are returning to Clarks Creek. Their outdoor learning experience includes education on salmon lifecycle/migration, human impact on our environment, and science. 

Each year a Salmon Homecoming Event is held at the hatchery on the first Saturday of October. This fun free event welcomes everyone in celebration of returning salmon with creek tours, and various vendors with games, art, information, music, and food. 

You are invited to come to walk the trails and enjoy this beautiful park-like property… truly one of Puyallup’s historic treasures. 

Group tours are provided upon request. Contact them via email. You can also visit them on Facebook.