CLOSURE NOTICE: The Niagara Springs Fish Hatchery near Wendell, Idaho, is closed to visitors until fall of 2013 during the reconstruction of the hatchery and surrounding facilities.

The day-use park located east of the hatchery, and Niagara Springs State Park (Pugmire Park), will remain open for use during this time. Anglers can continue to fish Niagara Springs Creek, but access from the west (hatchery) side is closed. Motorists are advised to watch for traffic flaggers and stops when entering the area.

Niagara Springs Hatchery is located in the Hagerman Valley of southern Idaho. With a capacity to rear nearly two million steelhead smolts annually, it is one of America’s largest privately-owned steelhead rearing facilities.

Named after the spring that feeds it, the hatchery’s water is clean, clear and most importantly, warmer than that in which naturally spawned steelhead grow up. This ideal environment allows the fish to achieve the equivalent of two years growth in just one year’s time.

Niagara Springs Hatchery has proven to be a tremendous asset in the rearing of steelhead juveniles. In the wild, less than 5 percent of the eggs hatch and survive to migrate to the ocean. At Niagara Springs, more than 80 percent of the eggs received from Pahsimeroi and Oxbow hatcheries survive to make their ocean journey.