Elwha, WA

Elwha Dam

Elwha Dam
Photo by Thomas O'Keefe © taken 2001-12-20

Gauge Information

River Description

SEASON: Best after a good winter rain and during snowmelt (November to June), but can be boated throughout most of the year.

FUN FACT: Great ocean surfing when the conditions are right.

NEWS: The film "Unconquering the Last Frontier" on the historic saga of the damming and undamming of the Elwha was recently released. See the film's website for some preview clips, script text, or to place an order.

PUT-IN: From Port Angeles take 101 west and at mile 242.5 turn onto Highway 112. Take this road 0.7 miles and just before reaching the Elwha bridge turn left (south) on Lower Dam Road. Follow this road 0.4 miles down to the dam where you'll find a trail that leads to the pool at the base of the dam on river right.

TAKEOUT: Return to Highway 12 and continue west across the Elwha River 1.4 miles to Place Road. Turn right (north) and follow this road 1.9 miles to the T junction and then turn right (east) continuing on the short lane to the Elwha Dike access point. Day-use parking is available along the road. Hike a couple hundred yards along the trail towards the ocean for the take-out or park-and-play surfing. Note that private access points that were once used on river right to gain access to the surf at Angeles Point are now closed to the public.

DESCRIPTION:

Just downstream of the dam the river flows through scenic gorge with some class II rapids (scenic overlook on river right just upstream of the Highway 112 bridge). The river starts out at the pool below Elwha Dam (photo) with the first of the class II rapids (photo). There is a short stretch of flatwater before another class II rapid on the upstream side of the Highway 112 bridge.

Once you pass under the bridge you'll soon be upon the longest rapid of the run. The river makes a bit of an S turn through a set of class II rapids. After this the river settles down a bit but provides fairly consistent action suitable for beginners. Use caution however as occasional strainers do occur along the banks.

You'll soon be upon the biggest drop on the run where a rock weir has been built for the fish hatchery water intake. The center chute drops a couple feet (photo).

Once you pass under the old Elwha Road Bridge the character of the run changes as the gradient tapers off a bit and the channel becomes more braided. At moderate flows there are still a few rapids in this section, but there is also a lot of wood--both engineered and natural log jams. In recent years several groups have run into problems when taking the left channel towards the end which takes most of the flow through the forest and an actively developing channel. The righ channel is more open but may not have sufficient flow (it is however a better option than hiking in and over log jams). Most would take out before this final section, but by continuing you can end your run on the ocean and finish the trip with some surfing (video). Be warned that the lower reach of the river is popular with fishermen and the surf at the mouth is popular with local surfers. When good swells come down the strait, people looking to surf can excede the space available to do so safely. Kayakers often paddle east to Angeles Point when it gets crowded at the mouth.

One issue of interest to boaters is the future of dams on this river. Two dams were constructed early in this century which block salmon passage to some of the best habitat in the state (protected by Olympic National Park) and hide potential whitewater treasures waiting to see the light of day. These dams are on their way out. The only question that remains is the cost and the time scale (check the Elwha River Recovery page for the latest information).

for additional information see:

• Korb, G. 1997. A paddlers guide to the Olympic Peninsula. third edition.
• Bennett, J. and T. Bennett. 1997. A guide to the whitewater rivers of Washington, second edition. Swiftwater Publishing. Portland, OR.
• Olympic National Park website