Olequa is located north of the city of Castle Rock on the west bank of the Cowlitz River.

Olequa is accessed by traveling 7.5 miles (12.1 km) north on West Side Highway from Castle Rock.

Sprague, two competing theories of the Cowlitz Indian word, Olequa, exist.

One hypothesis is considered to come from a vague association of the term "cametze", translated to mean "where the salmon come to spawn".

A second theory suggests the name came from the sound associated with a nickname of an elder, well-known Cowlitz tribal member, "Old Laquash".