The Mt Whitney Fish Hatchery was a fun stop along the 395 near Lone Pine, mainly Independence. However, it is no longer much of a fish hatchery following a flood and fire affecting the factory itself. While fish still live there, it no longer houses the famous "California Golden Trout". The Fish Hatchery now holds an intriguing museum with tons of history, facts, and artifacts of the West's nature. The staff are very nice and thoughtful volunteers, whom are very helpful. read more

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Beautiful stop. I've never been able to go inside, as it's always been closed when I've come by, but the grounds are well worth the stop on their own. Bring quarters to feed the fish :) read more

Mt Whitney Fish Hatchery - Tours Near Me - Independence, California

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Unfortunately the fish hatchery was closed when we visited on Wednesday. But it was a fun stop for a short walk around the pond & building. What made it worthwhile even though the information center was closed was the 25¢ fish pellet dispenser. Fortunately I had several quarters & polarized sunglasses/camera filter. I was able to feed the large trout in the pond & see them pretty clearly. The three ducks also competed for the pellet food but were no match for the swarming fish. The exterior of the building is beautiful & unlike any US fish hatchery I've ever seen. In college, I worked at our college fish hatchery so I can appreciate the unusual layout of this interesting place. read more

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Interesting grounds but closed. It could be so much more but it's not open to flood damage and there is a single pond which you can't see any fish, so unclear if it has any. Hopefully, the state funds read more

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A pretty park site with a building that looks more like a church than a fishery and a pond with trout and ducks. The 30-minute stop was good for a leg stretch and a little education about, of course, trout farming but also emphasis on the building's history including the recent mudslide. Currently open Friday to Sunday 10:00A-3:30P, the operating hours were less than usual. Located a few miles north of the Independence, signs along Hwy 395 mark the turn off. read more

This is no longer an active fish hatchery so if you want to see the spawning houses and the process you won't get it here. During our travels we seek out hatcheries. In Colorado we visited the Glenwood Springs Fish Hatchery. In South Dakota: D.C. Booth Historic National Hatchery. In Northern California: Trinity River Hatchery (which was extremely hands-on and educational) and Crystal Lake Hatchery. In 2008 there were heavy rains which caused so much mud slides and as a result the debris killed all the rainbow trout. To the right of the 1916 gorgeous building that was built out of 3,500 tons of granite, you will find the spawning house that is closed off by a fence. You will find large golden trout and a variety of ducks in a pound in front of the building. The mountain, scenery, and the building is worth the stop. It is absolutely stunning and peaceful here. You can't go inside the building to learn more about the fish hatchery due to Covid-19. The restrooms are still open and you are able to use the picnic tables to enjoy a meal with a view for free. read more

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Was out here on a camping trip to Bishop and decided to swing by here and check it out. Place is cool to check out a piece of history but doesnt offer too much to do. When you go inside you pretty much do a self tour by yourself that takes a few minutes and walk around the front and look at the fish. If you dont have time to spare I wouldn't waste the time on going to check it out. read more

Mt Whitney Fish Hatchery - Tours Near Me - Independence, California

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Cool place to bring kids to learn about the hatchery. Place is free but takes donations. read more

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This is a delightful oasis on dusty highway 395. I received a tour from knowledgeable and friendly volunteer docents. This place has survived quite a lot: fires, floods, landslides, and now the Rona, and you could never tell from how beautiful the grounds are. Although the hatchery is no longer fully operational, they still hatch fish for educational purposes. It was an unexpectedly informative and fun place to spend 30 minutes,. read more

October 16, 2016- stopped by on our way home from our annual Mammoth fishing trip...we've been visiting this historic fish hatchery for almost 18 years now and just love it! Our family has a supporting role as members of the Friends of the Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery and we take pride in visiting and supporting this wonderful place! This year is especially historic because they recently received baby Golden Trout! We hope that they'll be added to the pond! We have been visiting this hatchery for the past 17 years and just love it! Several years ago we became members of The Friends of the Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery. It's such a beautiful location to rest and relax before our big drive home. Bring a lunch! The Interpretative Center keeps growing and has lots to see! Our love seeing the baby trout grow from year to year! This historic fish hatchery is a hidden gem! Bring plenty of quarters to buy fish pellets to feed the trout in the pond! There is no admission fee but donations are appreciated inside the gift shop of the visitor center. Restrooms are available on site. All donations collected are used to maintain the hatchery! read more

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A nice, quick little stop to break up the boring drive on the 395!! The kids enjoyed seeing the interpretive center and feeding the fish in the pond. read more

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The Mt Whitney Fish Hatchery is tucked off from Route 395 and was a bit of a gamble as a stop on our family vacation. We were amazed to see giant tudor-style building dating from 1916 looming over a large man-made pond in a grove of trees. What a delight. The pond was filled with large golden trout (the state fish of California) that you could feed with fish food sold by the hatchery. My three year old son LOVED feeding these huge trout! My husband quietly speculated how one these trout would taste fried over a campfire with some lemon and butter. read more

If I was a fish, this would be my happy place. Easy living and free food. No predators and a safe haven ftotm other threats. When I graduated from here, that's when the bad news starts. read more

A nice little pit stop along the 395, beautiful historic building and some good old photos but the real gem is watching the massive trout cruise around the pond in front just under the ducks' toes. Would be a great spot for a picnic on a cool day. read more

Great grounds, and oh my gosh, what a beautiful building. Great way to get a bit of history of the fish hatchery and the surrounding area. There is a large pond where you can feed the fish or the ducks if you wish. The hatchery is no longer active, having been done in by an enormous mud slide, which both damaged the property (it's fixed up now) and diverted the water supply. Very close to Highway 395, and definitely recommended. read more

Beautiful building and pond with tons of trout; however, it says Open from 10am to 3pm and no one is here! Disappointing. If you want a spot for a picnic, this works. Tranquil and lovely area just off the 395. read more

I love this one particular fish hatchery off 395. The pond, the building with the tower and the mountains in the back make it a picture perfect opportunity to take a photo. The pond has huge rainbow trouts. There is pellets inside the bumble gum machine (25¢) and feet the trouts and watch them fight for food. There is also a free fishing day for the kids which I think is held in May or something. Inside the building has history of the Valley and baby trouts being raised. After I left I donated a buck to the fish hatchery. read more

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Such a darling place to come enjoy a quiet tranquil picnic and walk the grounds. The docent in the gift shop and hatchery was very sweet and informative. The restrooms were well maintained and clean. This is a great spot for private parties or weddings or just to pull off the road for some family education and enrichment. read more

We dropped by on a Saturday in early March and found that the facility was closed. But I gave it a high rating because you could still drop by, feed the fish (a quarter buys you a handful of fish food) and the grandkids had a great time. There is a nice little picnic area and it was just a very nice place to stop and stretch your legs and eat lunch and take pictures. The magnificent old fish hatchery setting with the Sierras in the background is quite a gem on 395 worth stopping for. read more

This is a must stop on your way through the eastern sierras. Truly a magical place filled with history. The pond has the largest trout you will ever see. I have love this place for 30 plus years! read more

A BEAUTIFUL HISTORIC CALIFORNIA LANDMARK AND A WONDERFUL PLACE TO STOP ALONG US 395 The Mt Whitney Fish Hatchery was built in 1915 and is a great stop for anyone who appreciates history and how the Easter Sierra helped to become one of America's greatest outdoor sporting areas. The fish hatchery is no longer funded by the state of California so the tour is run by a few dedicated local volunteers. read more

Neat place I had fond memories of stopping at about ten years ago. However since that time a large flood came-through the area and ruined a lot of the areas where they used to have ponds of fish. At least that's what I was told by a friendly volunteer. It's still worth a stop as the grounds are nice, there's lots of shade and bathrooms available and they do have one large pond out-front with some hungry Trout in it. Forget using the candy dispensers to get food for the Fish though; if the Visitors Center is open buy a bag of fish food in there for $1 read more

Though the hatchery was closed the day I went (OPEN: Thursday-Monday), I enjoyed spending time at the small lake... fed trout food pellets ($.25 per handful) and watched baby ducks dry off on the adorable duck landing. This was a nice place to picnic under the shade of the trees on a hot day. read more

So glad we stopped here! An adorable little gem for relaxing, feeding the ducks and learning about what it takes to get fish ready for the lakes/streams. You take a small road off of 395 for about a mile and turn into a lush area with a pond. We were shocked to find that this hatchery stopped working in 2008 because of floods and other disasters but they still keep a self guided museum so you learn about the process. The kids had fun feeding the ducks and running around for a bit after a long ride. We appreciated having a nice bench to sit on next to such a calm scene. This place is definitely worth a stop! Highly recommended! read more

My kids loved visiting and feeding the fish. Calm quiet and beautiful place in the Sierra desert

The Hatchery is a quick and easy detour off Hwy 395. It's only open Thur - Mon from 10am - 4pm, so plan accordingly. The large outdoor pond would be a nice place for a picnic, and of course, it's fun to feed the fish with the pellets that can be purchased outside or inside the lobby. Inside the hatchery, there are some interesting exhibits of the hatchery's history as well as a small tank of fingerling trout (cool!). The Hatchery is obviously a work in progress and will hopefully expand upon its exhibits and restoration in the future. read more

This place was nice - but the Gardner dropped his trimmers in the pond and did not retrieve them and a dead fish in pond too

This is a great place to stop and relax and see a bit of history! You can feed a pond full of rainbow trout!

I love traveling to the eastern sierras and this fish hatchery is gorgeous and feeding the fish is so much fun......the tour in the museum is very interesting about the history of the owens valley and the eastern sierras in general, beside the history of the fish hatchery itself which is kind of remarkable. make sure to check out their little gift/thrift shop read more

Got to stop by and support this place. Make a donation, help out saving this one of a kind historical landmark,

Gorgeous! So beautiful! We fed the fish, ducks & squirrel. Unfortunately, we were not able to go in to the building; do to construction. Definitely worth the stop :) read more

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Very very peaceful place to unwind, picnic or photoshoot. Perfect for wedding photoshoot . It lookes as if u are in medieval time. Very very each stop. Bought some fish foods to feed the fishes and it was fun thing u do with the kid. read more

This is a wonderful place to stop and stretch your legs on a road trip. My family (kids 4 and 8) were passing through the area and stopped to check out the fish. The museum is free and operated by volunteers. They have little baby fish to look at inside. Outside there are much larger fish you can feed. I recommend purchasing fish food inside the hatchery since you get a big bag for $1, as opposed to a handful for $0.25 lakeside. The bathrooms here are clean, the grounds are really beautiful. This would be a great place to have a picnic lunch and let the kids run around. read more

We went here 12 years ago and we able to walk up to the rows and rows of fish. We came back this past weekend with our kids and apparently they don't hatch them in the rows/pens anymore and you can't view where they do. They have a small display area in the building but it just not the same. The small lake/pond outside is nice and you can feed the fish, but we were disappointed with the visit compared to the last time we went. read more

What a beautiful place this is. Take a picnic lunch and just enjoy the beauty of your surroundings. The Hatchery is no longer active but there is a small pond with huge trout. The gift shop was closed when I was there. They are closed on Monday and Tuesday. Enjoy read more

Fun for kids but not too much to look at the volunteers were friendly and they had some fish to feed but hard to get food for them. The dispenser was out of order read more