Of all our downwinding sites in the Gorge, the Hatchery area has the most fragile access. If you are new to downwinding here, please read and pass along this information.
The most popular DW run in this zone is from Tunnel 4 to the Basement, approximately 3 miles of spectacular foiling with incredibly easy logistics. If the bumps are not filled in, folks often launch at Tunnel 5. Tunnels are numbered from west to east so Tunnel 4 is the longer run and Tunnel 5 is shorter.
Parking at The Basement:
The lower hatchery, aka The Basement, is on federal property and is not an Oregon State Park. Access is not guaranteed. There are around 20 people working out of the Spring Creek Fish Hatchery complex, including the normal facility staff to many former work-at-home federal employees who now must report to an office. These folks are working the 9-5 grind and many are facing additional stresses due to the actions of the current administration. They drive past our takeout and don’t appreciate us parking in the road, along the road, or impeding access in any way – real or perceived. We have had several conversations with the hatchery manager and he is strict with his requests.
The Basement area only has parking for around 25 vehicles and last season they lined the road with boulders to discourage additional parking in the grass or along the road. Park tightly and if your rig is not being used for shuttling, please consider the overflow parking area further down the road (east) just before the gated entrance to the hatchery complex.
So… moral of the story is behave yourself, park responsibly, and represent our amazing community in a positive light. Above all, be overly respectful if you are approached by a hatchery employee. If you are parked in the road to load boards, try to be quick.
Tunnel 5 and Tunnel 4 drop offs:
Shuttling on WA State Highway 14 is likely the most dangerous part of downwinding in the Hatchery area. We have seen many close calls including a fully loaded 90,000 pound logging truck locking up it’s brakes because an inexperienced shuttle driver pulled out without a spotter at Tunnel 4. There was literally a cloud of tire smoke as the truck, while going 50mph, was entering a tunnel on a curve. This was just a few days ago. I saw it in person and it was sketchy AF. An accident here has a high probability of being fatal.
A few suggestions:
-Have a spotter AND an experienced driver if you plan to turn left (east) out of the Tunnel 4 parking area. There is a wide turn around ¼ mile further west that makes things much safer. Turn right and use this if you have any doubts.
-DO NOT do a U-turn at the Tunnel 5 dropoff. Continue west and use the big turn around just past Tunnel 4.
Thanks for helping preserve our fragile access. Hope to see you on the water this summer!