Cowlitz Falls is a 10-foot waterfall on the Cowlitz River at the Cowlitz Falls Dam in Lewis County, Washington, where a hydroelectric project now operates rather than a surviving natural waterfall.
The falls
The site sits at river mile 88.7, just below where the Cispus River joins the Cowlitz. Lewis County PUD operates a 70-megawatt, run-of-river hydroelectric project here rather than a surviving natural waterfall. The dam structure itself stands 140 feet tall, a measurement of the concrete structure rather than of the original waterfall drop.
Getting there
Public viewing and fishing access at the base of the dam is at 1379 Falls Road, open dawn to dusk; overnight camping, campfires, and public dam tours are not allowed there. Cowlitz Falls Day Use Park, about 2.5 miles from the dam, is open and has picnic tables, a boat ramp, a dock, a swimming area, and restrooms.
When to go
Dam-base access is limited to daylight hours, and river conditions can change quickly during plant operations. Trout fishing at Lake Scanewa closes annually from March 1 through May 31. A total burn ban posted August 4, 2026 remains the current fire restriction at the PUD's recreation sites.
On site
When the warning siren sounds at the dam base, visitors must move immediately to higher ground. Swimming is at the separate day-use park on Lake Scanewa, not at the dam-base fishing and viewing access. The waterfall's pre-dam history and the origin of its name are not documented.
History and name
Construction on the Cowlitz Falls Hydroelectric Project began in the early 1990s, and the project was completed in 1994.
Nearby
Lower Goat Creek Falls is about 2.5 miles away, with an unnamed waterfall about 3.2 miles and Cathedral Falls about 3.4 miles.
Distances are straight-line.