Elma, Washington: Satsop Abandoned Nuclear Plant
Massive cooling towers of a never completed power plant.
Results 6 to 7 of 7...[Previous 5 items] Page of 2
Visitor Tips and News About Satsop Abandoned Nuclear Plant
Reports and tips from RoadsideAmerica.com visitors and Roadside America mobile tipsters. Some tips may not be verified. Submit your own tip.
One tower is accessible. One of them often has the fence open during the day for workers. The other is surrounded by a fence.
[Nathan Williams, 11/29/2007]Satsop Abandoned Nuclear Plant
The Satsop Nuclear Power Plant was 75% complete in 1983 before the money ran out and work was abandoned. To avoid steep dismantling costs, the site was eventually handed over to a public corporation and became the Satsop Development Park, home to various light industry businesses who work in the shadows of the two cooling towers. You can enter the property freely but you can't go under the towers (they're fenced off, although supposedly they are planning to open them to the public someday). Still, you can peek inside them since their bases are not solid (the hollow structures are held aloft by a zigzag of beams.) The tower at the site entrance was completely empty inside save for a lone port-a-potty.
[KevF, 09/11/2007][Previous 5 items] Page of 2
Satsop Abandoned Nuclear Plant
- Address:
- 150 Technology Way, Elma, WA
- Directions:
- From North: I-5 exit 104 at Olympia, follow signs to Ocean Beaches. After 27 miles, take Satsop Development Park (SDP) exit. From South: I-5 exit 88B to US Hwy 12 west. Drive 26 miles, at Elma go 1/2 mile and take SDP exit. After SDP exit: Make left to cross over freeway. Another 1.6 miles south, watch for SDP sign. Take bridge over river, turn right to Lambert Road and go 3.2 miles to park entrance at Olympic View Drive.
- Hours:
- Visible from entrance. Local health policies may affect hours and access.
- RA Rates:
- Worth a Detour
Nearby Offbeat Places
Latest Tips Across Roadside America
Catch up on the latest discoveries from the road.
Explore Thousands of Oddball Tourist Attractions!
Unique destinations in the U.S. and Canada are our special obsession. Use our attraction recommendation and maps to plan your next road trip.