The Wynoochee Dam is north of

Montesano, Washington Montesano is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, Grays Harbor County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The population was 4,138 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Grays Harbor County. Hi ...

. It is owned by the city of

Aberdeen, Washington Aberdeen () is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 17,013 at the 2020 census. The city is the economic center of Grays Harbor County, bordering the cities of Hoquiam and Cosmopolis. Aberdeen is occasi ...

, and was built by the

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

in 1972. The dam regulates the flow of the

Wynoochee River The Wynoochee River is a long river located in the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. A tributary of the Chehalis River, the Wynoochee River rises in the Olympic Mountains within the Olympic National Park and flows generally south. ...

, creating Wynoochee Reservoir. The Wynoochee Lake Shore Trail, designated a

National Recreation Trail The National Trails System is a series of trails in the United States designated "to promote the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nati ...

in 1979, runs around the lake.

Tacoma Power Tacoma Power is a public utility providing electrical power to Tacoma, Washington and the surrounding areas. Tacoma Power serves the cities of Tacoma, University Place, Fircrest, and Fife, and also provides service to parts of Steilacoom, L ...

added a 13MW hydroelectric generating plant downstream from the dam in 1994. Although access to the dam has been restricted since September 11, 2001, tours are available by appointment. Coho Campground, managed by the

Olympic National Forest Olympic National Forest is a U.S. National Forest located in Washington, USA. With an area of , it nearly surrounds Olympic National Park and the Olympic Mountain range. Olympic National Forest contains parts of Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferso ...

, is upstream from the dam. The campground has running water, restrooms, has a day use area, with cooking pits. There are 46 sites in the campground with fire pits and picnic tables, room for tents, trailers, motor homes, and these sites are charged a fee. There is also a boat ramp. There is a camp host there almost every day. Tacoma Power operates a day use picnic and swimming area along the shore of the reservoir closest to the dam. Wynoochee dam detail of spillway gates

Approximately 16 miles of the Upper Wynoochee Valley Road (Forest Service Development Rd 22) has been paved including the access road for the Wynoochee dam and recreational areas, this includes the Coho camp ground. This allows much faster traveling to and from the dam from Hwy 12 and the city of Montesano. The Donkey Creek Road (also Forest Service Development Rd 22) from Hwy 101 to the dam is currently paved from Highway 101 into the National Forest approximately 7 miles, and gravel the remainder of the way to the junction of FS2294.

References

External links

Tacoma Power's Wynoochee River ProjectU.S. Army Corps of Engineers foundation reportCoho Campground details
* {{Coord, 47, 23, 6, N, 123, 36, 25, W, display=title Dams in Washington (state) Buildings and structures in Grays Harbor County, Washington Hydroelectric power plants in Washington (state) Olympic National Forest United States Army Corps of Engineers dams Dams completed in 1972 Energy infrastructure completed in 1972 1972 establishments in Washington (state) Tacoma Public Utilities