NPS/BURGHART Start with 2 Visitor Centers in the Tri-CitiesThe Hanford Engineer Works produced plutonium at a roughly 600-square-mile (1554-square-km) site along the Columbia River in Washington state for the Manhattan Project during World War II. Workers at the Hanford Site constructed and operated the world’s first nuclear production reactors that produced the plutonium used in the Trinity Test and in the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, on August 9, 1945. The Tri-Cities has two visitor centers where you can start your Manhattan Project National Historical Park experience:
Basic Information about Hanford (Tri-Cities) We offer a traditional passport stamp as well as a unique three-part stamp. Travel to our visitor centers in Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, and the Tri-Cities to receive one-third of a stamp. By the end of your journey, you will have a whole stamp.
Many of the park’s historic properties are located “behind the fence” on secure Department of Energy nuclear reservations. Public access is only permitted though public tours facilitated by the Department of Energy. The Department of Energy offers two tours: B Reactor and Pre-War Historic Sites.
If you are planning to explore areas of the park that are closed to pets, we recommend that you contact a local pet care provider. Commercial kennels and pet sitters are available in surrounding communities. Please check local listings. Reservations are strongly advised and may be required. The National Park Service has a national policy on service animals that applies to all parks. For more information about pets in parks, visit the National Park Pets website.
Free public WiFi is available at the Hanford Visitor Center but not at the B-Reactor or at any of the historic structures on the tour route. Cellular service is available in the Tri-Cities.
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Last updated: August 14, 2025