At the Tynehead Regional Park you can wind your way around the Serpentine River enjoying beautiful riverside paths and an abundance of wildlife. Tynehead park is a shining example of the importance of habitats and helping the local wildlife, and is a wonderful park to explore and hike.
In the 1980’s the Serpentine River’s salmon run badly needed help and a hatchery could help replenish the population. Salmon may spend most of their lives in the ocean, but they call rivers, like the Serpentine their home. It’s where they are born, where they return to spawn, where they finish their life cycle, and their bodies provide important nutrients for the surrounding environment.
The efforts to help the local salmon were successful thanks to extremely dedicated volunteers who made personal sacrifices such as refinancing their own homes, to make the Tynehead Hatchery a reality. There is now a fish hatchery, classroom, and research station run by the Serpentine Enhancement Society that is available to help not only salmon, but also those of us who walk on land to learn more about our finned friends.
The work of these passionate people has paid off and you can see it for yourself. Salmon come up the river to spawn in large groups. There are several kinds of salmon that call these waters home sweet home, you can see Coho, Chinook, chum, and Steelhead (which is actually a kind of trout!). The park offers several viewpoints for the best vantage at seeing these fish on their long commute back to the streams of their youth!
But there is more than just fish! Home to birds of many kinds, and coyotes, the Tynehead Regional Park is home for many critters that you may be fortunate enough to take a peak at when you visit. You can also bring your own four legged friend to their dog friendly section of the park.
From spawning salmon to large eyed owls to the beautiful trails, the Tynehead Regional Park is a beautiful environment, that many call home. Visit the trails and bridges and be a guest in a wild world