Franz Lake Viewpoint

Franz Lake Viewpoint is a small roadside platform on Washington’s State Route 14, looking over Franz Lake and its surrounding wetlands. It is the public visitor stop for Franz Lake National Wildlife Refuge; the refuge has no public trails or other visitor access, so the lake is seen from the overlook rather than reached on foot.

This is a brief stop for a wetland view and seasonal birds, not a hike. The refuge protects the largest and most intact wapato and rush marsh remaining on the lower Columbia. Franz and Arthur Lakes provide winter habitat for tundra swans and other waterfowl, while migrating birds use the area in spring and fall. Wapato returned to Franz Lake in the 1980s after years away, followed by swans resting and feeding there again.

The overlook is off SR 14 between mile markers 31 and 32, just west of Skamania. A parking area and interpretive signs sit beside the highway. The view reaches across the Columbia toward Oregon; Horsetail Falls is a distant detail that a visitor spotted with camera zoom, so binoculars or a longer lens help. The draw is the wetland panorama and its seasonal bird life, not a route down to the lake.