Exploring a massive dam spillway

Looking up from the bottom of the spillway chute.

A few years ago I saw a skate video where these guys were skating inside of a massive full pipe. I looked online and found out they were inside of the Monticello dam spillway on Lake Berryessa in Napa county, California. I was only a few hours south at the time so I immediately made plans to head up there. I really dig tunnel photography, and with the size of this one, it was bound to produce interesting results.

The opening to the spillway is not easy to get to, it is surrounded by very steep terrain and there is no good way to hike to it. We decided to use a blow up raft and paddle our way up the creek to the spillway.

The spillway outfall is circled in red, you can also see the “glory hole” which is the top of the spillway chute I am looking up in the first photo

I took this shot looking at the massive dam while standing near the spillway outfall

Walking into the outfall

Looking back out from inside the huge pipe

Thanks to El Nino, this past spring the water level was high enough for the spillway to be active after being dry for over a decade. I decided to go back and check it out.

Glory hole in action for the first time in over a decade

View from the top of the dam

I really wanted to get a shot of the water rushing out of the spillway outfall but the water was rushing so fast and hard that there was no good way to get near it with a good shooting angle.

Bonus shot of a nearby puddle reflection, I can never pass up a good reflection opportunity!