PORT ANGELES — Demolition of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams is well-documented online, but that’s not enough to keep a few dam fans from getting their own up-and-close look.
That is, a bit too close.
Olympic National Park spokeswoman Barb Maynes said about five people have been fined $125 each for ignoring warning signs and walking up to Glines Canyon Dam, some by cutting their own trail through the woods.
That includes Will Spence, who, after being fined, posted a video he took next to the crest of the dam on the park’s Elwha River restoration Facebook page.
Spence, who also posted a scanned copy of his fine sheet, didn’t return a request for comment.
No trespassers have been reported at the Elwha Dam, which, unlike Glines, has a viewing area for the public. That can be reached from a trailhead at 47 Lower Dam Road.
Glines can be seen from the shore of its reservoir, Lake Mills, but that is off-limits, Maynes said, because of its close proximity to the dam.
The dams can also be viewed on web cams at http://tinyurl.com/pdndams.
Maynes said neither the Glines Canyon Dam nor the Elwha Dam is accessible to the public because of the safety risks that come with an active construction site.
Also, she noted, a person falling into the river near Glines Canyon Dam would have little chance of getting to safety before going over the edge.
“It’s very, very dangerous,” Maynes said, adding that the water behind the dam has stronger currents than before.
“It can no longer be considered a lake.”
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
