Sight · Olympic National Park
The reservoir is gone; the river now runs through its canyon.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Olympic Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Olympic National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Olympic audio tourRecorded for this place
Madison Falls: A Short Walk in the Elwha“You're approaching Madison Falls, a good choice for a waterfall stop without a long hike. Allow fifteen to twenty minutes for the short walk and a pause beside the sixty-foot cascade.”
Plays as you drive up to Glines Canyon Dam Overlook in the Parkwolf Olympic Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Set on the former Glines Canyon Dam spillway, this overlook looks into a 200-foot-deep canyon and across the valley Lake Mills once filled. It suits visitors interested in the Elwha's restoration as much as the river view. The described approach from Madison Falls is 3.4 miles one way over road and bypass trail, so plan for a substantial out-and-back. The bypass is steep, and the shared route carries bicycles; bring water.
Glines Canyon Dam was built from 1925 to 1927, creating Lake Mills and flooding an area known as Smokey Bottom. Removing the dam became part of the Elwha River restoration. Wayside exhibits at the overlook explain that work, so leave time to read them before heading back.
The Elwha now runs through a rocky canyon about 200 feet deep. From the former spillway, look for the river below and the broader basin beyond it, once covered by the reservoir. The railing in the foreground helps show the drop; frame the blue-green water against the canyon walls.
Wildlife
710 sightingsOlympic MarmotMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
30 sightingsHumpback WhaleMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
42 sightingsGrey WhaleMost seen around noonSighting map
23 sightingsMountain LionMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
71 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
306 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Olympic. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateSmokey Bottom Trail3.8 mi · 2.5 hr · 0.1 mi awayFollow the Elwha restoration story into the former Lake Mills valley.
ChallengingElwha to Hurricane Hill Trail11.6 mi · 12 hr · 1 mi awayA hard forest climb opens into meadows with Bailey Range views.
ChallengingHappy Lake Ridge Trail9.5 mi · 9.5 hr · 1.8 mi awayA steep ridge climb opens to alpine lakes and far-reaching views.
ChallengingHappy Lake Trail9.6 mi · 9 hr · 1.8 mi awayA steep ridge climb drops to a grassy alpine lakeshore.
EasyElwha Forest Loop Trail0.4 mi · 15 min · 1.8 mi awayA short forest path whose mapped line isn't a loop.
ChallengingCascade Rock Trail4 mi · 4 hr · 2.1 mi awayA steep forest climb to a mossy rock above the Elwha.
ModerateSmokey Hill Trail0.8 mi · 1.3 hr · 2.2 mi awayA short, steep drop into the Elwha, with the same climb back.
ChallengingElwha River Trail to Lake Margaret55.4 mi · 1.2 days · 2.5 mi awayLong Elwha wilderness trek to Lake Margaret with a required river ford.
Sight · 2.8 mi awayMadison FallsA short Elwha Valley walk ends below a 60-foot waterfall.
Sight · 4.4 mi awayOlympic Hot SpringsA long Elwha Valley walk or bike-and-hike to hot springs.
Picnic area · 4.5 mi awayHurricane Hill Picnic Areas A and BA summer picnic stop with mountain views along Hurricane Hill Road.Parkwolf’s Olympic ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
