Bonneville Lock & Dam, built and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was the first federal lock and dam on the Columbia and Snake rivers. The project’s first powerhouse, spillway and original navigation lock were completed in 1938 to improve navigation on Columbia River and provide hydropower to the Pacific Northwest. A second powerhouse was completed in 1982, and a larger navigation lock in 1993. 

Today, the project is a critical part of the water resource management system that power generation, navigation, water quality improvement, fish and wildlife habitat including fish passage and recreation along the Columbia River.

A Public Works Administration project of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, portions of Bonneville Lock and Dam Project were declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.

Bonneville’s significance is based on the Colonial-Revival style architecture of the administration building and auditorium, the unique engineering design, the contribution to the region’s industrial development, the lock’s role in transportation, the entrance landscaping, and the role of Bonneville as a major government undertaking in the 1930s to provide jobs during the Great Depression.

Bonneville Lock and Dam is named for Army Captain Benjamin Bonneville, an early day visionary who led an exploration to the Oregon Country and charted extensive sections of what became the Oregon Trail.

The visitor center at the Navigation Lock is open seasonally, from the Friday of Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.  This visitor center offers exhibits and videos demonstrating the value of river commerce to the economy of Oregon and Washington.  Visitors can see the navigation lock in operation when commercial or recreational boats are using the lock. There is no set schedule of when boats pass through the lock.

Directions: Take I-84 to exit 40, approximately four miles west of Cascade Locks, Oregon. At the flag pole intersection, bear right.  Enter the Navigation Lock Visitor Area parking lot just past the guard station as the road veers to the left.  

Our first mission, eliminating impediments to navigation on the Pacific Northwest's rivers, dates back to 1871. A navigation lock was built during the original construction of Bonneville Dam. A larger lock was constructed in 1993, in a comparable size to the seven other locks on the 465 mile Columbia-Snake River Inland Waterway.

*National Geodetic Vertical Datum 
(Mean Sea Level)

Built and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, The Dalles Lock and Dam is one of the ten largest hydropower dams in the United States. Since its completion in 1957, it has provided the Pacific Northwest with a reliable water source for hydropower, navigation, recreation, fish passage, irrigation, and flood mitigation. The dam is 192 miles upriver from the mouth of the Columbia River and two miles east of the city of The Dalles, Ore.

Since its construction, the dam has generated more than 9.2 billion kilowatt hours of electricity and passed up to 10 million tons of river cargo annually. 

The project consists of a concrete structure with a navigation lock, spillway, gated powerhouse and fish passage facilities. Various recreational facilities are provided along Lake Celilo, the 24-mile-long impoundment behind the dam.

Since 2010 park rangers at The Dalles Lock & Dam have hosted an annual Eagle Watch event from The Dalles Dam Visitor Center. The visitor center and adjacent Seufert Park is a hub for bird watchers, photographers and others seeking to see America’s National Symbol in action. This is because, located directly across the river from the visitor center and Seufert Park is The Dalles Dam and a green space on the south side of the dam, known as Westrick Park.

This green space, although not open to the public, is a prime winter roosting spot for migrating eagles due to the very nature of its secluded location. It’s quiet, dark at night, and free from much human disturbance. In addition, the area is blocked from the wind on one side and has many different perching options such as tall trees and snags, power towers, and rock islands for water access.

Wintering eagles often congregate at the confluence of rivers or around dams and powerhouses where the water is constantly turbulent. This is because turbulent water won’t freeze over in the winter, meaning guaranteed access to fish, their main source of food and the reason they are here! Eagles migrate in search of food and will return to the same communal roosting sites year after year. Mid-December through February it is common to see anywhere from 40 to 60 eagles in this one location! Then, once the weather warms and food is plentiful again, our winter guests return home to nest.

Eagle Watch Partners
                  

The 15^th annual Eagle Watch was held at The Dalles Dam Visitor Center on Jan. 25, 2025. Stay tuned for your next opportunity!

The Visitor Center will open Monday through Friday, every week in January from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Scopes will be available for use.

To learn more about raptor viewing and educational opportunities in the Columbia Gorge area, check out the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum at www.gorgediscovery.org  or the Rowena Wildlife Clinic at www.rowenawildlifeclinic.org.

For current Visitor Center status call ​541-506-8475.