hot creek fish hatchery

a wonderful field trip on the first day of being in the Sierras. Always good to get acclimated and the Hatchery is a great 'field trip' or catch the Trout Fest! There were demonstrations, fishing for the kids, informational booths, free fish cleaning when you did catch a a fish and professional fly fishermen demonstrating how to fly fish! Our kids, ages 10-23, all caught fish. The different stages of "growing" fish is fascinating whether you eat 'em, fish for em or are just interested, even a bit, in how farming fish works…highly recommended for all ages! while you're out there go check out the Hot Creek from the look out vistas.

Follow signs to the Mammoth airport, then follow the brown signs with a picture of a fish. Once you park, you'll see a pond to the right teeming with rainbow trout. You can buy $.25 handfuls of fish food and watch the feeding frenzy that ensues. Or you can luckily bump into a ranger who's feeding the fish and get a glimpse of a serious feeding frenzy! Dennis, the ranger, was kind, informative, and obviously loved his job. Then we walked past that stream and saw a small creek that fed into another pond. The boys, ages 3 and 6, collected rocks and sticks and had a blast. We finally wandered to the brooding ponds that are made of concrete and house millions of trout! The kids were fascinated as we watched the schools swim quickly in all directions. We noted how the water must continually move so as to not freeze during the winter. After all that, we ate a picnic lunch in the back of our truck and watched the mountains, clouds and birds. What a fun 2 hrs!!

In all the years taking children and grandchildren, everyone has enjoyed looking at the millions of fish of all shapes and sizes. When there is an hour that needs to be filled, head for the fish hatchery out near the airport.Buy some food and watch the feeding frenzy unfold before their eyes. Oh, and be sure to walk to the creek at the rear of the hatchery and see all the fish that have 'escaped'...

It's not big like most of the hatcheries in California but the fish are in a more natural setting.Also the scenery around it was great!!!

We have visited this fish hatchery a few times. Its always fun to see the numerous trout from small to large; its also fun to feed them. Its a free place to visit; parking at the hatchery. Easy to get to when traveling highway 395.

Every time we visit the Mammoth area, we go to the hatchery. There are some huge fish in tanks, you can walk up and down the rows looking at all the fish and you can feed them from dispensing machines they have. That's really fun, because you throw a few pieces of food in the water and like Piranha, they attack the food to see who can grab it.

This is another must see before or after seeing Hot Creek.Tons of fish in different stages. There's a state fish hatchery very close by.

Small fish hatchery near the Hot Springs Creek. Very little in terms of signage or explanations. You can observe the trout in separate pools of maturation. Easy to get to off the 395.

Catch the trout fish hatchery tour for a very informative time. A great diversion for the kids, besides fishing and camping.

The long rearing ponds ("raceways") of fingerling and other juvenile trout exploded in a frenzy of activity when the lunch truck arrived. By chance, we went to see the Hot Creek Fish Hatchery just as veteran Fish and Game employee, Dennis, served the hungry horde lunch from the back of his truck. It's a big job raising 500,000 catchable-sized trout per year, but once his fry were fed, Dennis took some time out to visit with us.We learned that the large springs that supply the hatchery flow at an ideal temperature for rearing trout. Given that the area is teaming with hot springs, a sudden shift in groundwater flow could put them right out of business. Under these conditions; however, the trout are grown to about 4 pounds, and are released primarily into the Owens River and its reservoirs.The opportunity to walk freely through one of the largest Rainbow, Brown and Cutthroat trout hatcheries in California, and to feed the fish yourself is worth 2 stars. Meeting Dennis and witnessing the lunchtime feeding frenzy merits a third star. A fourth star might be warranted if the hatchery grounds were spruced up and some interpretive signs added.

Taking the kids to see the fish hatchery was a great way to spend 1/2 day on our vacation. They enjoyed walking around and seeing all the stages of fish growth and development. There really isn't a "program" so be prepared to simply walk yourself around and enjoy the scenery. It was a nice way to get away from the more crowded attractions but it is decidedly low key.

If you like feeding fish from a Pay food dispenser, then this is the place to go. No one around to ask questions though. You almost feel like you are trespassing. It is large and the fish look healthy.

Very interesting place, you can learn and see how they breed and raise fish that are eventually released into lakes or rivers.

The hatchery is in poor shape. The fish have a fungus turning their fins white and the death rate for the fish is awful. The area is covered with weeds and over growth. If you and the kids haven't seen a fish hatchery then you may enjoy it. Our three year old wanted to know why the fish were sick and dying... We had just been to Moccasin Creek Hatchery the previous morning and the difference was like Buckingham Palace and skid row...

Brought my kids to the hatchery to give an idea of where farmed fish comes from, and was amazed at how much I had to learn! Although the concept is quite drab, it's nice to at least be aware of what it means to be buying the food. Ever since, we've all become big proponents of wild-caught everything!Admittedly a very educational and interesting experience though. Would definitely recommend.