The Reach includes the river itself and lands on both sides of the river. It flows 51 miles from approximately Priest Rapids Dam to Richland, Washington, and provides the last significant fall chinook spawning habitat in the main stem river. The area also supports numerous species of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, including some recognized as species of concern by state and federal governments. The Reach shelters American Indian cultural resources and important archaeological sites. Aquatic habitats, covered with water most of the year, include the main channel of the Columbia River, near-shore, and backwater sloughs.
Riparian areas provide important habitat for fish, birds, and invertebrates.
They also provide vegetation for food and cover for other species. Upland habitats adjacent to the Hanford Reach include island, dune, and bluff habitats, including the White Bluffs, a unique geologic feature that contains ancient fossils. The White Bluffs fossil record extends back more than two million years. The familiar Canada geese also can be seen and heard along this reach of river. Colonial nesting birds include the Forster's tern, California gull, ring-billed gull, and great blue heron.