The Long Way
Gunnison County
High-angle view of a facility in a mountain valley surrounded by trees with autumn foliage.
Plate I. Overview of Pitkin Fish Hatchery. From cpw.state.co.us
An outdoor fish hatchery with concrete raceways and buildings in a valley.
Plate II. Outdoor raceways at Pitkin Fish Hatchery. From cpw.state.co.us
A snowy landscape with a building and mountains in the background.
Plate III. Snow-covered building, Pitkin Fish Hatchery. From cpw.state.co.us

Pitkin Fish Hatchery

Pitkin, Gunnison County, Colorado. Cold water brood and production facility.

Details

Map. Pitkin, Gunnison County, Colorado. Larger map
Where
14214 County Rd. 76, Pitkin, CO 14214. Directions
When
Daily, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Getting there
From Gunnison, drive east on Highway 50 for 11 miles, then turn left (north) on County Road 76 for 15 miles to Pitkin, passing Ohio City on the way.
Access
Working hatchery rules for visitors: don't place hands in the water or try to catch fish, and don't move fish to another raceway.
Walk-in or reserve
Self-guided tours are walk-in; call ahead to arrange a guided tour.
Phone
970-641-0265
Website
cpw.state.co.us
Managed by
Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Established
1912.
Coordinates
38.35561, -106.31516.

Located on Quartz Creek just outside Pitkin; raises rainbow trout and kokanee salmon and keeps a Rio Grande cutthroat broodstock.

Notable Events

  1. 1912Colorado Game & Fish (now Colorado Parks and Wildlife) purchased the private hatchery. cpw.state.co.us
  2. 1924The stone hatchery building currently in use was built. cpw.state.co.us

People

  • R. L. McKnight, owner of the private hatchery near Pitkin; constructed its new hatchery building.
  • R. L. Light, Superintendent, Gunnison County Hatchery, at Pitkin.

Sources

  1. cpw.state.co.us/hatchery/pitkin
  2. cpw.state.co.us/fish-hatchery-tours
  3. cpw.state.co.us/sites/default/files/dam/kblwkxv9tr/pitkin-state-fish-hatchery.pdf
  4. gunnisoncrestedbutte.com/blog/things-to-do-in-pitkin-colorado
  5. spl.cde.state.co.us/artemis/nrserials/nr613internet/nr613191112ocrdinternet.pdf
  6. spl.cde.state.co.us/artemis/nrserials/nr613internet/nr613191314ocrdinternet.pdf