Dworshak Dam Overlook

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.

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.

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.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

The Dworshak Dam Overlook, near the town of Orofino in north-central Idaho, offers impressive views of Dworshak Dam, one of the tallest dams in the country and the tallest of its type in the western hemisphere, holding back the North Fork of the Clearwater River to form the long, scenic Dworshak Reservoir. From the overlook and nearby visitor center, visitors take in the massive concrete dam, the reservoir stretching into the forested mountains, and the Clearwater River country. The dam also supports a fish hatchery and reservoir recreation. With its towering dam and reservoir scenery, the Dworshak Dam Overlook offers a fascinating destination in Idaho.

You can view the massive Dworshak Dam from the overlook, take in the scenery of Dworshak Reservoir stretching into the forested mountains, learn about the dam and the area at the visitor center, and access reservoir recreation like boating, fishing, and camping at the nearby state park, along with a large fish hatchery. The towering dam and the reservoir views are the highlights, impressive for their scale, with recreation and the hatchery nearby. With its enormous dam, reservoir scenery, and recreation, the Dworshak Dam Overlook offers a rewarding stop near Orofino in north-central Idaho.

Dworshak Dam is one of the tallest dams in the United States and the tallest straight-axis concrete gravity dam in the western hemisphere, rising over seven hundred feet, an enormous structure holding back the North Fork of the Clearwater River. Its massive scale is impressive to behold from the overlook, and it created the long Dworshak Reservoir behind it, extending many miles into the mountains. The dam supports flood control, power, and recreation. Seeing the sheer height and scale of this towering dam is the main draw of a visit to the Dworshak Dam Overlook in Idaho.

Late spring through fall offers the most pleasant weather to enjoy the overlook, visitor center, and reservoir recreation, with summer the peak season for boating and camping on the reservoir, and fall bringing beautiful color to the forested mountains, a lovely time. The overlook can be visited in mild weather year-round, though checking current visitor center and hatchery hours before you go is wise. For the best combination of pleasant weather and recreation, aim for late spring through fall at the Dworshak Dam Overlook near Orofino in north-central Idaho.

The Dworshak Dam Overlook is near Orofino in north-central Idaho on the Clearwater River, with Dworshak Reservoir and State Park nearby, within reach of the Nez Perce National Historical Park, Lewiston, the Clearwater country, and the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. That makes the Dworshak Dam Overlook a fascinating stop to combine with the Nez Perce National Historical Park and the other attractions of north-central Idaho on a visit to the state.