Nimbus Fish Hatchery

This place is really cool and fun for kids. My kids love feeding the fish and watching all the fish jump around. Their visitor center is also really cool and has some interesting facts to learn.

The fish hatchery at Nimbus is fascinating to visit. Here is where generations of salmon get their start before their long journey to the Pacific. The visitors center displays dramatise the process, starting from when they are but part of a cluster of salmon eggs.There are always busloads of school kids visiting the hatchery in the fall. The nearby fish ladder where returning salmon who have spent their whole life adventuring in the ocean before their instinct draws them back up the waterways to begin the cycle again.It's a day spent on the edge of the American River. The bike trail runs alongside it. The hatchery is but one of the coolest aspects of living in a city with two major rivers coursing through it. Oh, and well-behaved doggies on leashes are allowed to walk around the baby fish tank area. Every half hour, they come out and give little paper cups of fish food to sprinkle in the nursery tanks for the baby salmon.I love coming here every Nov-Dec.

I have been visiting the hatchery for the past 25 years. It is one the best lesser known attractions in the Sacramento area. It is totally free to visit and to park in the parking lot. FREE. Great family friendly outing to enjoy nature. It is located off Gold Country Blvd off the Hazel Avenue exit of Highway 50. Things to do:+ Check out the visitor center which is open year round. But I recommend looking at the website for updated information and hours of operation. + Check out the raceways. The raceways are the small outside fish ponds located next to the visitor center. The fish hatched here are raised in the raceways until they are released. You can buy fish food to feed them. A kiddo handful of fish food cost a quarter. But the raceways are currently closed to the public until further notice. + Salmon and trout ladder run viewing. The Chinook salmon usually tun around the beginning of November - mid December and the steelhead trout run January - February. The fish swim the ladders in search of a place to spawn. The ladders lead into the hatchery. It is quite a sight to behold, the multitude of fish swimming the elevated ladders. There are see through reinforced windows along the ladder that provide views of the underwater action. + Walk 1/4 mile River Discovery Trail. It is ADA accessible. Has gorgeous views of the river. + Walk or bike the American River (AR) Trail, it is also ADA accessible. The trail can be accessed near the front of the parking lot. But the paved trail has lots of curves and blind spots. + Walk to the Nimbus Dam. When the water level is low, you can walk the higher dry river bed near the ramp. Stay close to the ramp because they do release water. When they do, an alarm will ring with a 5 minute warning. So no entering the water. Tip: You can walk the America River Trail from the hatchery to get there. I do not though. Even though I walk single file on the AR Trail, the cyclist come on fast taking those blind curves and there is no jump space.I take the sidewalk on Gold Country Blvd to get to the Nimbus Dam.

When the bestie says, let's go play in the sunshine...It's my moral imperative, to go out, and do just that! I love this part of Sacramento, and spend a fair amount of time enjoying the area. Especially back in the day, walking through the hatchery itself, and looking at all the little fishies jumping through the water... Pretty cool stuff. Newsflash! Who knew that there are epic trails for walking, hiking, and biking, all around this part of the hatchery?!? Apparently, I'm the last one on this page lolIf you've never been, and you want to have those moments in nature, this is absolutely the place for you. Everything is absolutely beautiful, worth stopping to look at, and it truly is a piece of heaven, right in our own backyard!We saw owls, deer, fish, all sorts of birds, and even some pretty awesome humans! When you hear the phrase a room with a view, it truly doesn't get better than this view. There are some places along the way if you feel the need to stop and sit that you can. It's a pretty epic place to go bike riding, as the trails, for the bikes are paved and marked. This truly is a happening spot. Go get your nature on, and you will thank me later!

Shows nature, environment, you can feed fish, awesome ! I had fun with my grandson! Recommended!

This place is packed. No parking if u come after 11am.I recommend u arrive early unless u plan to circling around waiting for someone to leave or park n walk little bit further. First time here and didn't know will be that many visitors. Kids definitely enjoy watching the fish and do the feeding. No entrance fee and u get to feed the fish without any fee.Good place to explore around. They have small visitors center in the middle. Have a tiny restroom just be careful since it's very small don't ever push it hard , people behind the door could get hurt. Someone almost got slam due to very tiny space to even move around. So far is a fun place to visit .They have lots of picnic table outside for people to sit n chill. Nice nature place to walk around too.

My kids love this place. Make sure you guys go early or they run out of fish food pretty quick. It is a very informative place you can learn about our local trout and salmon from the spawning and hatching stage all the way through their life cycle. They even have a cute little playground for the kiddos. Staff is super friendly.

Have you driven by the hatchery sign and said one day? It's time to finally go!It's a free activity and you get to feed fishes!Don't forget the little bit of exercise you get walking up and down the fish.Highly recommend bringing your own containers for the food to feed the fish.Don't feed the babies (please follow/read the signs). They're too itty-bitty for the food offered.Recommend for kids and adults.

My family has been coming here nearly every year since I was little. It's a tradition for us. We learned about the fish and their ecosystems and we are at the age that are children are now learning and feeding fish at young ages. It is fun for all ages and everyone can learn something. We also like to take a walk down the path a little ways and see if we can find any fish swimming up. Such a cool place! I learn something new everytime.

I love this place! Feeding the fish is fun, especially in the take furthest from the parking lot where they are super excited when you throw the pellets in. The walk along the river is beautiful. The visitor center has clean bathrooms and is informative. There's also a small fish themed play area outside which cracked me up and kids were having a great time in. Can't recommend enough if you have a spare hour one day and want to do something different.