Bradford Island Visitor Center at Bonneville Lock and Dam

The Bradford Island Visitor Center is located adjacent to the Bonneville Lock and Dam, on the Oregon side of the Columbia River. For fans of history or outdoor recreation, this locale is a can’t miss!

The visitor’s center touches on the history of the dam and the island through local exhibits from the staff and volunteers. Through tours of the dam, visitors can see the turbines and generators of the dam at work, while on the dam’s viewing platform they can see lamprey and salmon make their way upstream on. History buffs who visit the island will note the site where Lewis and Clark camped during their journey back home.

Lewis and Clark were not, however, the not the only pioneering characters in history to be a part of this location. An interesting tidbit about the dam is its namesake, Benjamin Louis Eulalie de Bonneville, a French officer who pioneered parts of the Oregon Trail.

Outdoor recreation enthusiasts have their options for leisure when they visit the dam, including but not limited to camping, picnicking, boating, water skiing, fishing, swimming, hunting, hiking, biking, horseback riding and wildlife viewing.