LewisandClark200.com >> Oregon >> Cascade Locks >> Fun >> Family Fun >> Bonneville Dam Visitor Center

Lewis and Clark 200 >> Oregon >> Cascade Locks >> Fun >> Family Fun >> Bonneville Dam Visitor Center

Bonneville Dam Visitor Center
Cascade Locks, Oregon

Location:

Bonneville Lock and Dam
Cascade Locks, OR 97014
(541) 374-8820
This web page has had 4151 unique visitors.

Bonneville Dam Visitor Center Website

Description:
Public access to the dam and two Visitor Centers is provided on both the Oregon and Washington shores. These visitor facilities are two separate entities and you must cross over The Bridge of the Gods in order to visit both. They are open to the public free of charge. Visits to either visitor facility are comparable, with the exception of visiting the navigation lock, which is found on the Oregon side.

The main objective of the Bonneville Dam Visitor Center on the Washington side is to provide the public access to the insides of the powerhouse. Generators can be seen from a walkway above the powerhouse floor. Visitors can ride the escalators down into the powerhouse to get a close up view of a generator and rotating turbine shaft through special viewing windows. The Visitor Center also has a fish viewing building where visitors can watch various migrating fish move up the fish ladders, past underwater windows. At each of these fishways, a worker counts each of the various adult species that travel up the ladders. This information has been collected since 1938 and helps biologist track the increases and decreases for each population of fish. In an average year, between 700,000 and 1 million upstream migrant adult salmon and steelhead, and about 30 to 50 million downstream migrant salmon and steelhead fingerlings, pass through Bonneville Dam. Other species that can be seen are shad, sturgeon, and lamprey. Inside the fish viewing building, there is an exhibit that explains the history of fishing in the area, including traditional Native American fishing practices and artifacts.

The Visitor Centers offers self-guided tours as well as interpretive programs. Based on their daily schedule, the Visitor Center staff provides 30 to 60 minute interpretive presentations including fish, hydropower, and history talks as well as audio-visual presentations at each visitor center. These programs are frequently attended by family groups and are suitable for all ages. A typical presentation has one or two 20-minute sections and may also include an audio-visual program lasting another 20-30 minutes. Most will include a visit to the underwater fish viewing windows and a powerhouse. Interpretive programs for groups are also available on a reservation basis.

Directions and/or Additional Information:
From the Portland metro area, take I-84 east towards The Dalles. Crossover the Columbia River via The Bridge of the Gods. Take a left, once you are over the bridge. Travel 5 miles west on Washington State Highway 14. Signs will indicate that the visitor center is located on the left, and is accessible by exiting directly off of Washington State Highway 14.

From the Vancouver area, go east on Washington State Highway 14. Travel 40 miles. Signs will indicate that the visitor center is located on the right, and is accessible by exiting directly off of Washington State Highway 14.