A Fire Prevention Order has been issued for Central Washington and Mid-Columbia River national wildlife refuges. This includes Cold Springs, Columbia, Conboy Lake, McKay Creek, McNary, Toppenish, and Umatilla refuges and the Hanford Reach National Monument. The order remains in effect until midnight, September 30, 2025. The following are prohibited: Building, maintaining, attending, or using fire, including campfires, warming fires, and cooking fires, including both charcoal briquette and gas stoves; smoking outside of an enclosed vehicle; tossing burning material, such as a cigarette, any place it may start a fire; operating a motorcycle, ATV, or other type of small engine without an approved and working spark arrester; and lighting fireworks, including sparklers and and smoke bombs.
Visit Us
The Hanford Reach National Monument is an outdoor enthusiast's dream. Visitors may currently access over 57,000 acres providing wildlife dependent recreational opportunities.
Hunters can pursue trophy mule deer and the occasional elk from a herd boasting some of the largest elk in the West. Anglers can pursue salmon, steelhead, monster white sturgeon, largemouth bass, walleye, and many other sportfish. Spring often brings good wildflower shows, and abundant wildlife provide year round opportunities for photography and wildlife observation. Old military and service roads provide miles of hiking opportunities, and the more adventurous can head off crosscountry on foot.
The Hanford Reach provides motorized and non motorized boating opportunities on the nation's only remaining non tidal, free flowing stretch of the Columbia River. Jetboating or kayaking trips are excellent ways to see the river, experience its history, and catch a glimpse of deer, pelicans, coyotes, bald and golden eagles, egrets, various herons and waterfowl of all descriptions.
The Monument is a land of extremes鈥攈eat and cold, water and desert, ancient and modern. While not an unduly dangerous landscape, caution needs to be taken when venturing out into it. There are few visitor facilities at present, and the visitor should plan on self sufficiency. It's dry; bring plenty of water. River winds can capsize small craft; wear lifejackets. Some areas are remote; let someone know your destination and when you'll be back. Cell coverage is generally pretty good, due the flat landscape, but that shouldn't be your emergency plan. While rare and very shy, there are Pacific rattlesnakes, so don't reach into areas without first checking. The only real wildlife threats would be allergic reactions to insect or spider bites (e.g., black widow spiders).
Visitors should be prepared for minimal signing and primitive facilities. A visitor brochure is available; just drop us a note with your name and address.
Warnings aside, the Monument is a fairly safe and pleasant environment. Obey signs and follow common sense, and you'll enjoy your visit to this unique national monument national monument
A national monument is established by executive order of the president or by Congressional legislation. The Antiquities Act authorizes the president to proclaim 鈥渉istoric landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest鈥� as national monuments. The National Wildlife Refuge System helps manage two national monuments: Hanford Reach National Monument in Washington state and World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument in Hawaii, Alaska and California.
Learn more about national monument and wildlife refuge.
Access
The entire Monument is open from sunrise to sunset. The one exception is for hunting, when the hours are 1陆 hours before legal hunting hours to 1陆 hours after sunset.
Please be aware that the White Bluffs Boat Launch is closed to launching of motorized boats from November 1 through June 30. This stretch of the river is a sanctuary for over-wintering waterfowl. That said, loading and unloading non-motorized craft (e.g., canoes, kayaks, rafts) is allowed, although you may have to carry your boat to and from the parking lot.
Columbia River Corridor Unit 鈥� The river's surface waters are open year round. The shorelines (1/4 mile from the mean high water mark) are closed, except at designated locations, as are all islands between Vernita Bridge and the Bonneville Power line (river mile 351). Federally owned islands below this line are open below the ordinary high water mark.
Rattlesnake Unit & Fitzner Eberhardt Arid Lands Ecology Reserve 鈥� The Rattlesnake Unit, including the ALE, is closed to general public access. Use is currently limited to approved ecological research.
Ringold Unit 鈥� This area is open to the public year round.
Saddle Mountain Unit 鈥� The Saddle Mountain Unit is open to public use year round.
Wahluke Unit 鈥� The western half of the Wahluke Unit (Saddle Mountain National Wildlife Refuge) is currently closed to general public access. Use is limited to approved ecological research and environmental education activities. The eastern half is open to public use year round.
Facilities
If you're planning on visiting, please be aware that facilities are limited and primitive in nature.
Roads: Access roads in the Wahluke Unit are nearly all graveled. Passenger cars are fine for most roads, with two exceptions; (1) the Saddle Mountain access road may seasonally require high clearance and/or four wheel drive as it ascends up the Mountain; and (2) the WB 10 pond access road is sand/dirt and requires high clearance and/or four wheel drive. When driving, please be watchful for bicyclists, equestrian users and pedestrians, who may be using the roadways.
Restrooms: The Vernita Bridge Rest Stop is located along State Route 24, just south of the Vernita Bridge. Operated by the Washington State Department of Transportation, this site is open 24 hours and provides flush toilets, picnic tables, shade trees, drinking water, garbage cans, and informational signs. Portable toilets are available at the White Bluffs Boat Launch.
When in doubt, call us at (509) 546-8300, or email us at [email protected].
Other Resources
As far as actually planning your visit, the Tri Cities of Kennewick, Richland and Pasco, as well as nearby West Richland and Benton City, offer a wide range of hotels, restaurants and stores. (Please visit the web site.) Camping is available at , Desert Aire, Mattawa, Kennewick's Columbia Park, facilites along , and other nearby facilities. The Tri-Cities Visitor and Convention Bureau can help you out with locating other area attractions like wine tasting tours, area parks, and other recreational areas.
Location and Contact Information
About Us
Protected by Presidential Proclamation in 2000 under the American Antiquities Act, the Monument is a place of sweeping vistas and stark beauty, of towering bluffs and delicate flowers. Wildlife abounds in this harsh landscape鈥攔are is a trip along the river that doesn't produce mule deer, coyotes, bald eagles, great blue herons, or white pelicans. A large elk herd hides in the canyons, and incredibly, porcupines are a common sight. Rare plants defy the desert, wind and heat. Beautiful spring wildflower displays delight the visitor who ventures into the field.
The Monument is also a reminder of our history as a nation. Plutonium reactors stand along the river, remnants of WWII and the Cold War. Plutonium from B Reactor fueled "Fat Man," the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, on August 9, 1945. No longer in production, these reactors are now being dismantled, and the lands and waters cleaned.
So, whether you're interested in history, sightseeing, wildlife, hunting, fishing, or just enjoying a bit of time away from the bustle of everyday life, the Hanford Reach National Monument has something to offer you. But don't come expecting a lot of visitor facilities鈥攖hey don't exist. You'll be experiencing the Monument on its own terms.