Kids' Activities Near Portland, Oregon: The Bonneville Dam and Fish Ladder

About 40 miles east of Portland on Interstate 84 is the Bonneville Lock and Dam in the Columbia River Gorge. The Bonneville Lock and Dam were originally built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1930's as part of FDR's New Deal. At the time it was built, it was the largest single-lift lock in the world.

This is one of our family's favorite summer day trips. The dam is easy to get to, right off of Interstate 84, with plenty of parking, great scenic views, and some surprisingly interesting and fun activities for the kids.

There isn't an admission cost to get into the dam. And once inside, you and the kids can check out all sorts of informative displays that talk about the building of the dam and the animals and fish that live in or around the dam.

Though all of the history is interesting, the kids' favorite thing about this excursion is the fish ladders. Because the Bonneville dam spans the river - it blocks the natural migration and spawning routes of many fish that live in the Columbia River like salmon and sturgeon. The fish ladder - is a kind of mini-waterfall, long staircase, alternate path for fish to bypass the dam.

The great thing about the fish ladders is that there are indoor, underwater viewing windows where you can see all of the fish swimming up the ladders. Another purpose for these windows is that there are volunteer 'fish counters' that count each fish that goes by and what type it is. So all of the fish migrating up the Columbia River around the Bonneville Dam - gets counted individually.

Because the fish are swimming upstream against a strong current, they pass by the windows really slowly - giving you and the kids plenty of time to get up close and personal. And we're not talking about bluegills or perch - these salmon and sturgeon that are swimming by are huges - a few feet long some of them. You'll also see lots of smaller fish as well as some eels and other strange creatures.

Once you've had plenty of time watching fish in the windows, you can step outside and see the ladders from above. The ladder is actually a long winding series of steps, so you'll see fish leaping out of the water to get up each step - it can be quite entertaining and a fun game for the kids to see who can spot the most jumping fish.

Because the Bonneville Dam is right in the middle of the Columbia River Gorge - it's a great location to just sit and enjoy the outdoors. The Columbia River Gorge is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. At least in our kids' opinions! There is plenty of room for them to run around, explore the banks of the river, eat a picnic lunch, count some fish, before heading home for the day.

The Bonneville Lock and Dam is a great activity to take the kids on where they'll have fun and learn something in the process. It's also relatively inexpensive - just the cost of lunch and the gas to get out there.