My husband had been here many years ago and he's been suggesting we go. Over the years he's mentioned it but we never got around to it until yesterday since we were close to the area, looking for something to do with our kiddos and the weather was surprisingly AMAZING especially it being the end of June. It's Sunday we arrived at 2pm, parking is free as well as admission! My husband asked if I had quarters he said he remembered you can buy the fish food with quarters! To our surprise the feed was free! It was in a closed wooden container. They have signage of asking people to only take a handful as a courtesy to others. There's also other signs that say to not touch the water or fishes and not to feed the little fishes. My family and I had a great time the kids LOVED seeing the fish eat as they fed them and quite relaxing watching them swim. We were there for about 30mins. They had a Hatchery Building and it showed the baby fishes. They have educational boards you can read about the fishes and habitat. Restrooms open but the women's sink wasn't working at that time and no soap. Overall for a free experience it was great! Will recommend and would come back! read more

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What a lovely free attraction. I'm glad Fresno have such things like this attraction here. We get to see and learn the trout cycle. How they kept these fishes alive from birth, eggs to alevin, parr, and lastly, adults. The fun part is feeding them. They'll follow you everywhere, even if you don't feed them. read more

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I am always looking for some fun activities I can do with the kiddos. I have heard about this hatchery for some time and been meaning to go. Since the weather lately have been tolerable to do some outdoors activities, we came here for the weekend to check it out. This was on a Saturday, and it does not look like it's manned by anyone. There are long rows of the fish holding area that you can enter through the gate. Also, there are fish food you can feed the rainbow trouts with. It is one per person so please be mindful and not go get more. It is free to share so everyone can enjoy feeding the fish. Once you are done make sure to put the cup back where it came from. The kiddos really enjoy seeing and feeding the trouts. There are different sizes of trouts there. You can see some pretty small ones in the beginning, but more towards the back of the pond area, you will see the full grown size of them and they are massive. It is pretty neat to have something like this here in Fresno to check out. It is completely free and is open to the public. They also have a restroom area for you to use. We did not get to see anything inside one of the hatchery buildings because it was really dark and was blocked off to get closer to see. Nonetheless, seeing the fish in the big pond area was neat. read more

San Joaquin Fish Hatchery - Outside - Aquariums Near Me - Friant, California

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A fun place to take the kids or for a cheap date. The atmosphere was quiet and tranquil. You can come and learn something about the hatchery and how they supply all the different lakes with trout. You can even feed the fish and watch them go crazy. There is a small trail for you to walk and a picnic area for you to enjoy. Looks like a place that is under utilized. It's a must visit and it's free! read more

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I had a great experience here. Since I fish for stock trout, I wanted to see the process of how they're raised. They had a section for baby trout, then the medium sized and larger trout. You can feed them too, which was the best part. They leave a bucket of fish food out for you. There's no lid on it so birds that can fit through the fence and ground squirrels will come in to eat the fish food. There's a sign where it says to only feed a handful to the fish and not to touch the water since that can affect the water. read more

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Best time to come here is during fall and the picnic tables barely have any shade i almost passed out and i had lots of fun feeding the fish

Fun free activity to take kids/family to. Didn't see the trail wish we could have experienced it. We started at the office and the gentleman there was kind and broke down how everything worked. It's self guided which worked with my introverted side. The first raceway didn't have any food which was a bummer but we found some at the end so we were happy we got to try that. So much opportunity to bring in more people to visit. read more

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What a TREAT this was! Absolutely free to go to for your family to enjoy. Super interesting to see the different life stages of the fish and so fun for kids (little and big-like me!) to feed the fish and watch them get frenzied and splash all over. We spent a long time here just walking back and forth watching them swim. It was really a neat way to spend a couple of hours. read more

I love coming here and learning about the whole process of how fish are raised. Children are especially fun to be with.

Fun, free, and educational outing with the kids. Take extra time and visit the Small Fry Trail as well, for a very easy little trail hike with the kiddos. The hatchery has restrooms and a small grassy area with a couple of picnic tables, so you can go in the morning, and then have a little picnic lunch before heading home. read more

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This is a fun place to go as a family. If you just want to get outdoors, I recommend this place. Not fancy but really fun!

Very fun place to take your kids, you could feed the fish and there are so many different sizes of fish. Rainbow Trout mostly.

I love coming here. There's something about feeding the fish and seeing my kids get excited that gets me every time. On this particular visit the food machines weren't working. A gentlemen working offered us a plastic cup to fill with food at a nearby area. My kids were so happy to be able to feed the fish. If you have young kids this is a must see. They have small baby trout as well as larger adult size ones. Inside another building you can see really tiny ones. It's cool to see the life cycle and how they mature over time. I can't wait to see what this place has to offer as it expands. read more

I am really excited to see how this place evolves as they expand their trail to connect to Lost Lake park & as the salmon conservancy building is completed/opened to the public. We were just our for a relaxing Saturday morning drive when the large sign visible from the road intrigued us. It was still fairly early when we went (just before 9am). The Small Fry trail was absolutely adorable & clean. If you have children, they have an awesome & creative children's playground built into the nature trail. They even have a canoe that kids can sit in & pretend play in. It's not a huge play area but it's tastefully done to blend into surroundings. The trail is currently very short due to construction of the salmon conservancy but it's still pretty & well-maintained. We did not go to the fish hatchery. All the signs indicated it opened at 7am but the gates were closed so that was a little odd/unwelcoming. However, I think with the projects that are in process here, it will become a destination worth visiting for local residents. read more

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Amazing little place to bring the family to and hang out for a couple hours feeding some fish. They no longer charge to get fish food from the machines so get here early to get some fish food. They only re-fill the containers twice a day and once it's done, it's done. They have several picnic tables on the property and your typical creepy state park restrooms which are clean, but still creepy. There's not much shade so I recommend bringing a hat and some sun screen. Bring the fam and enjoy feeding some fish. read more

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Amazing for kids to run around. Open space and safe to let the kids walk around and see the toddler walk thru with lots of things for kids

This place is great. I've been coming here since I was a kid. Be sure to bring quarters for fish food. There are rows and rows of fish during all stages of development. Great place to walk around at and learn more about our ecosystem and where lake fish come from. Trout is what is grown here and it is truly fun to see all the fish. They have really clean bathrooms too which is a great plus! Entrance is free. read more

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Such a neat place to visit for all ages . It's off Friant Road and Fleming Road. A brand new parking lot opened with bike parking and a map display. The new parking lots is on Friant road just before Fleming Road but there's more parking spaces down by the hatchery also. It's opened from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm daily. No fee. Clean restroom. A new trail called " Small Fry Children's Trail" opened up recently. It's really neat with all the displays. Starting 4/3/17 part of the section of San Joaquin River Parkway Trail is closed due to construction of Salmon Conservancy. There's two lots for the bus parking. My son came here with a school trip once. You can volunteer every Friday and Saturday morning to pull the weed at children's trail to keep it nice and safe. read more

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Reasons why this is a great place to bring your kids: 1.) Learn about fish! Children can learn and SEE fish as they grow in the different bath ponds. 2.) Feed fish! What child doesn't love to feed fish! And fish food is only a quarter! 3.) My favorite reason....FREE!! Get your kiddos out of the house and try a different place to visit in the valley! read more

A great "get away" from the "city" My daughter loves to come here and so do I. So many fish and really makes you feel closer to life through the appreciation of nature- Fish are an essential component to our eco system! I appreciate this place every much. Will have life time memories due to the hatchery. Thank you! read more

July 2022 they opened in April if 22. Still very limited use. Only allowed the public on One Raceway and No feeding due to COVID. Can you believe it. Since when do fish get covid? Only the 7 inch fish available for viewing. Not impressed. read more

Super fun place for the family! We like to take our kids, who are between the ages of 11-16, to experience things we have not yet done. We all absolutely loved it! We came to visit on New Year's Day, which was really nice because we could take our time and experience everything without a crowd. There were only two other families there when we arrived and they were about to leave and two other families a bit after we arrived. We pretty much had the place to ourselves. We brought a picnic lunch and sat and ate before feeding the fish ourselves. The only thing I did not anticipate was bringing our own containers(cups) to fill with fish pellets. There were red solo cups near the food area but they were cracked or a bit broken, we used them anyway but I recommend taking some of your own, we lucked out with those being available to us. They also enjoyed the Small Fry Trail, which is mostly meant for younger kids, but they enjoyed walking through and being able to play in the area and reading all of the signs around the trees and bushes learning the names of them and bringing a few leaves home that they really liked. Can't wait to visit again as they will be extending that trail to Lost Lake Park! read more

San Joaquin Fish Hatchery - You can park all the way to the back using the Fleming Avenue entrance. Be sure to remove your vehicle before 3 PM! - Aquariums Near Me - Friant, California

I take daily walks here it is wonderful I recommend it!also afterwards you can walk across the road and have a really good burger

I sort of live in the area less than a mile from this place, yet I find myself not coming here as often as I used to. It's certainly by no fault of the hatchery! I am not a fish enthusiast. It is interesting to come and see the fish at different stages of their growth and to hear about their worth to the environment. I very much enjoy feeding them as well! Be sure to bring some quarters for their little dispensers for food! If your kids are excitable about fish or animals in general, they might have a nice time here. Personally, I would not recommend a trip specifically for the hatchery, but if you find yourself coming to Lost Lake or the campsites nearby, stopping by could be something to do! Admission is free, just come right in and look around! Note: Maybe it's seasonal, but the current closing times for the San Joaquin Fish Hatchery is 3pm. read more

This place is great for kids and families. Not only is it dog friendly.. but the whole family can enjoy feeding and observing fish of all ages in their outdoor pools. They have convenient easy to use coin operated fish food dispensers (bring lots of quarters)!! The only down fall is it can get hot here and there is no shade- and byob "brig your own bag" to hold the fish food pellets. Outside the gate are several large grass areas, a giant replica rainbow trout and picnic tables for your enjoyment. There is an indoors room where the workers are caring for the youngest fishies- they can give a brief history of the hatchery as well which lakes and rivers they service. Close by millerton lake so make a day out of it and bring the whole family. read more

San Joaquin Fish Hatchery - Pet friendly - Aquariums Near Me - Friant, California

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