Dworshak Dam Overlook
Viewpoint Rd, Ahsahka
Orofino, ID
A viewpoint above a wall of concrete more than 700 feet tall, the highest straight-axis dam in the Western Hemisphere, holding back a reservoir that reaches for miles into the mountains.
The Dworshak Dam Overlook delivers one of Idaho's great jaw-dropping views: a straight, sheer wall of concrete rising more than 700 feet from the North Fork of the Clearwater River. At a height of 717 feet, Dworshak is the tallest straight-axis concrete dam in the Western Hemisphere and among the tallest dams of any kind in the United States, a scale that is hard to grasp until you are standing above it.
But the dam is only half the story. Behind it stretches a long, deep reservoir that snakes back into the forested canyons of north-central Idaho, and just below it sits a fish hatchery that is a giant in its own right. Together they make Ahsahka, a small dot on the map near Orofino, home to some outsized numbers.
What Guests Love
- Standing above one of the tallest dams in the country, a genuinely staggering piece of engineering
- The long, fjord-like reservoir winding back into forested canyons
- The neighboring Dworshak National Fish Hatchery, the world's largest steelhead hatchery
- Big-water recreation, from fishing and boating to quiet reservoir camping
Worth Knowing
- The dam and reservoir are managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; the visitor center hours vary by season
- The overlook road climbs off the highway near Ahsahka; follow the signs and mind the switchbacks
- Reservoir levels swing a lot through the year for flood control and fish flows, changing the shoreline
- It is a working dam and hatchery, so respect closures, railings, and posted areas
Details
Orofino, ID
Learn about Dworshak Dam Overlook
A wall of concrete on the Clearwater
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began building Dworshak in 1966 and finished it in 1973, plugging the North Fork of the Clearwater River with a straight-axis gravity dam that relies on its own immense weight to hold back the water. At 717 feet, it is the highest of its type in the Western Hemisphere and ranks among the three tallest dams in the country.
From the overlook you can take in the full sweep of it: the smooth face dropping to the river, the powerhouse at its foot, and the water backed up behind. The dam provides flood control, hydropower, and flows managed to help fish downstream on the Clearwater and Snake.
The reservoir and the hatchery
Behind the dam, Dworshak Reservoir reaches far up the North Fork canyon, a long, narrow, fjord-like lake hemmed by steep forested slopes. Its remote arms and shoreline campsites, some reachable only by boat, make it a quiet haven for anglers, boaters, and campers looking to get away from crowds.
Just below the dam is the Dworshak National Fish Hatchery, the largest steelhead hatchery in the world, built in part to offset the fish habitat the dam blocked upstream. It raises steelhead and salmon that continue the Clearwater's long tradition as a great fishing river.
The Clearwater country and the Nez Perce
This is the homeland of the Nez Perce, or Nimiipuu, who have lived along the Clearwater and its tributaries since time out of mind and whose descendants remain here today, centered on the reservation nearby. The river and its salmon runs are woven deeply into their culture.
The wider Clearwater region is a landscape of timbered ridges, deep river canyons, and the route Lewis and Clark followed with Nez Perce help. Orofino, just downstream, grew as a logging and mining town and remains the gateway to the dam, the reservoir, and the mountains beyond.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Orofino
Dworshak State Park
About 25 miles by road, on the reservoir
A forested state park on the reservoir's west shore near Orofino, with campsites, swimming, and boat access.
Nez Perce National Historical Park
About 40 miles southwest
A distributed park of sites across the Nez Perce homeland, telling the Nimiipuu story and the 1877 flight.
Orofino
About 5 miles east
A Clearwater River timber town with services, riverside parks, and access to steelhead fishing and the backcountry.