News Release

Rangers to lead hikes and walks that highlight Manhattan Project history in the Tri-Cities

Participants learn about the history of Richland from a National Park Service ranger.

NPS/Zimmerman

News Release Date: April 25, 2024

Contact: Becky Burghart, 208-848-6098

Richland, W.A. – Manhattan Project National Historical Park will host two programs during the first week of May that share Hanford and the Tri-Cities role in the Manhattan Project. Life in Richland: Hanford Workers and their Families walking tour is scheduled for May 1 from 9:00-11:00 am starting at the Uptown Theater in Richland. Rangers will also lead a history hike up Candy Mountain on Saturday, May 4 from 9:00 am–11:30 am.

Join a Manhattan Project National Historical Park ranger on Wednesday, May 1 from  9:00-11:00 am on a free 2.5 mile (4 km) guided walk around the neighborhoods near the Uptown Shopping Center in Richland. Learn about daily life in Richland and the homes, shopping districts, and green spaces built for Manhattan Project workers and their families during WWII. The design of the town reflected the need to create a livable community for some of the thousands of workers required for the top-secret plutonium production work at Hanford.

On Saturday, May 4 from 9:00-11:30 am rangers will lead a free, guided 3.6-mile (5.8 km) round-trip moderate hike to the top of Candy Mountain. There will be several stops along the trail up to the summit where rangers will share short histories about the events and people that shaped the mid-Columbia region. Hikers will move forward in time as the stops progress from the Ice Age Floods to the Manhattan Project and its legacies. Topics will include the Native Peoples who have lived here since time immemorial, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the arrival of Christian missionaries, and the selection of Hanford for plutonium production during World War II. Hikers will gain 555 feet (170 m) of elevation as they hike to the top of Candy Mountain. Participants should be prepared to hike uphill, bring water and food, and plan for a variety of weather.

To learn more about these events, visit go.nps.gov/hanfordrangerprograms or www.facebook.com/ManhattanProjectNPS. Learn more about Candy Mountain and the Candy Mountain hike.