GPS Coordinates: 44.4684471, -123.4933499

REGIONS > OREGON CENTRAL COAST > COAST RANGE MOUNTAINS​​
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Oregon Route 34 (known as OR34 and the Alsea Highway) connects Oregon Coast Highway 101 at Waldport with Philomath on the east side of the Coast Range Mountains. The route roughly follows the contour of the Alsea River, intersecting with it at many locations and providing access to a variety of recreational spots including parks and campgrounds.

The river, along with Alsea Bay outside Waldport, are popular fishing areas. Depending on the time of year, hundreds of boats will cruise the river as anglers try their luck at catching steelhead trout, coho salmon and Chinook salmon.

The route also passes through numerous wildlife areas, including the top edge of the expansive Siuslaw National Forest and the perimeter of the Corvallis Watershed Wildlife Animal Refuge. OR34 offers direct access to Marys Peak, the tallest summit in the coast range.

Oregon Route 34 meanders through farmland and forest, all the way from the Willamette River to the Oregon Coast.

The highway follows much of the Alsea River, ending at the expansive Alsea Bay. The bay is a popular fishing and boating spot.

Alsea Fish Hatchery

Fish hatcheries are used all over the world as a means to support aquaculture (the rearing of aquatic animals or the cultivation of aquatic plants for food) and protect native fish and shellfish populations from over-harvesting by supplementing native commercial fishing. As human demand for fish has risen, hatcheries have become a commonplace solution to providing this commercial commodity without exhausting the naturally occurring populations of animals. Hatcheries have become especially important in Southeast Asia, where the extensive demand for seafood has decimated many marine species. The Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Fish Hatchery System administers most of the hatcheries in the United States, including the one on the Alsea River.

​The facility, which is open to the public, raises steelhead and rainbow trout. The nearby creeks are excellent areas to different fish as they make their annual migrations upstream to spawn. Sometimes, spawning fish can be seen wriggling over the rocks and debris just inches from shore!

​For more information, visit the hatchery website