Highway 316, as it heads north from Highway 5, is on the Warren/Marion county line. Although the parking area for the overlook is in Warren County, the track from there can take you down the hill and back into the Marion County section. Note that this is posted as off-limits in the fall as a waterfowl refuge, but some of the area may be scoped from the overlook.

The entire area is important as a resting area for large concentrations of migrating waterfowl, gulls, and shorebirds. The area is also critical as a wintering area for large numbers of Bald Eagles. Nesting birds include Bobolink, Cerulean Warbler, Black-billed Cuckoo, Wood Thrush, and in some years Kentucky Warbler.

The Red Rock Dam is about five miles southwest of Pella; the refuge area extends northwest beyond Runnells in Polk County to near Hartford in Warren County.