June kicked off a summer long celebration of the 150th anniversary of the National Fish Hatchery System. As part of our celebration, we’ve created a series of road trip blogs that crisscross the country highlighting national fish hatcheries that are more than 100 years old!
Join us each week for Road Trip Tuesday as we take you on the Great American Hatchery Road Trip!
This week’s stop, Leadville National Fish Hatchery in Colorado.
Taking the prize as the second oldest federally-operated fish hatchery, Leadville National Fish Hatchery was established in 1889 to distribute trout throughout the Rocky Mountain region. Over 130 years later, they continue that mission and are now the only facility breeding greenback cutthroat trout and other unique species of Colorado cutthroat trout, in addition to supporting the recovery of four endangered fish in the Colorado River. If those cool critters weren’t enough, Leadville also has a ton of recreational opportunities to explore!
The National Fish Hatchery System has been improving recreational fishing and restoring aquatic species since 1872 (uhhhh, yeah that makes them 150 years old!) and yet, lots of folks might not even know that their grounds are often open to the public and entry is FREE! The wonderful thing about fish hatcheries is that they offer something for everyone in your group…no more disgruntled sighs from the backseat!
