Wells Dam Reservoir Recreation

Wells Dam is an impressive presence in Douglas County in Washington and tourists as well as locals use the Wells Reservoir for fishing, hiking, boating and camping. This review is for the recreation area just off SR 20 as I desperately needed a place to use the bathroom after a very
long drive.
The Wells Dam serves a source of hydroelectric energy and can pass a flood of over 8,800,000 gallons of water per second! It is also an important project that ensures the safe passage of migrating Salmon and Steelhead through the dams and has a fish ladder that allows them to get to the other side. It also allows scientists to catch some for studying (and maybe eating as well). The Wells Dam project also dedicates its time to hatching/​breeding a variety of fish such as land-​locked Chinook, White Sturgeon, Trout and Kokanee.
It was deserted when we got there on a weekday around noon and there was a nice parking lot, a clean bathroom (hooray!), donated doggie bags for scooping your dog’s poop, an impressive view of the dam and the surroundings and lots of signage. A lot of money and thought went into this rest stop for tourists and/​or locals frequenting the area.
It would be a nice place for a picnic under their pavilions for a quick lunch, a bathroom break in clean non-​porta potty toilet, a photo op and a bit of history to help fill your afternoon with memories.