San Joaquin Hatchery

San Joaquin Hatchery - Friant Interactive Nature Site

A major producer of trout and inland salmon, San Joaquin Hatchery is also a great place to visit. Along the San Joaquin River, just downstream of the Friant dam, San Joaquin Hatchery has picnic grounds among the garden of California native vegetation. Come take a photo with the enormous wood-carved rainbow trout!

people walking around the park and ponds

Visitor Information

Hours

San Joaquin Hatchery grounds and restrooms- Open daily 7:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

FINS parking lot, trails, and open spaces- Open Daily from Sunrise to Sunset.

Mailing Address: PO Box 247, Friant, CA 93626.

Directions and Parking

Upper parking lot- Open Sunrise to Sunset: East of Highway 41 in Friant. From Friant Road, turn west onto Parker Ave. Vehicle must be removed before Sunset. No Over night Parking.

Lower parking lot - Open 7:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.: Additional parking and ADA parking to access the hatchery grounds is available. East of Highway 41 at Friant. From Friant road, turn west onto Flemming Road and follow the road to the small lower parking lot. Vehicles must be removed from the lower parking area by 3:00 p.m. daily.

Located 1 mile below Lake Millerton Dam, about 12 miles north of Fresno. MAP

Beyond the Hatchery

San Joaquin Hatchery is part of Friant Interactive Nature Site known as FINS. After visiting the hatchery stay and explore the rest of the site, which includes: The San Joaquin River Parkway Trail, The Small Fry Children’s Discovery Trail, picnic areas and outdoor classroom; view the California native vegetation gardens, behold San Joaquin River watershed tile mosaic and be on the lookout for wildlife flying overhead while on site. At FINS not only can you see salmonid life stages up close and feed the growing fish, you can enjoy nature by taking a stroll or picnicking along the trials. Kids can learn through play experiencing the life of a trout in themed play areas imaging they are a fish finding prey and hiding from predators in natural habitats. The 59 acres of state property is about a 15-minute drive from Fresno.

Coming soon - Salmon Conservation and Research Facility – Construction of the facility is resuming on May 31, 2022, and is estimated to be completed by June 2023. Completing construction of this facility will allow reopening of the San Joaquin River Parkway Trail connecting to Fresno County Lost Lake Recreation Area and access to the San Joaquin River. Currently for the safety of the public a portion of the San Joaquin River Parkway Trail is closed due to construction of the new facility.