Lake Sonoma Visitor Center and Don Clausen Fish Hatchery

First time to Lk Sonoma Visitor Center & Don Clausen Fish Hatchery. It’s a MUST see if you’re in Geyserville or near Healdsburg!
Visitor Center hrs are Thurs-​Sun 9am-​4pm, best to call them to check if they are open 707−431−4590, it was open on Sun 3÷23÷14.
FREE parking at the VC & Information, at the Marina it’s like $ 10.
Go to the Fish Hatchery, it’s cool to tons of Steelhead fish. You might see some fish jumping at the Fish Ladder — hard to see, but we saw a few jump. Unbelievable how hard they have to work to survive.
At the Raceways you can feed the fishes — bring Quarters because they machine is like those kind candy machines that only take quarters! We didn’t and feel really bad to not get to see the crazy madness it would have caused. So Bring Quarters people!
You can get information on hikes, maps, watch a short video, read about the fish hatchery, etc.
Worth a visit! We’ll be back one day. Bring Quarters!

Teased down Dry Creek Rd road by the «steelhead» banners near the Healdsburg plaza, we found this apologetic powerhouse for endangered trout and spawning salmon. When Lake Sonoma was created, it wreaked havoc with the natural fish migrations. So to undue the State’s man-​made obstacle, Calif is re-​routing the fish and helping the little guys along in hatcheries. The seasonal score of arrivals of migrating steelhead was only 749 on the day we visited. It was fascinating to watch these trout finish their 3,000 mile return from the Pacific. Made me tired and sad at the same time. Nifty little operation for the public to witness.

So a fish hatchery might not sound like the most happening place, but I really get a kick out of this place. I’ve been coming here for years with my family to watch the fish climb up the fish ladder, feed the little fish, see the babies, and watch the videos about the life of a salmon or trout. Now my brother works here and I can see behind the scenes :) It’s on the way to Lake Sonoma, and right across from a nice park (get a sandwich from the Dry Creek store and come out for a picnic). Some of the displays are pretty old, but you get over it. It’s really fascinating to learn more about the life of the fish out there.