Below the confluence the river marks the boundary of Olympic National Park for several miles before emptying into Lake Quinault.

After the lake, the Quinault River flows southwest, reaching the Pacific at Taholah.

The Quinault River's drainage basin is 188 square miles (487 km2) in area.

[2] A well maintained trail follows the East Fork of the Quinault from Graves Creek to the Enchanted Valley Ranger Station through old growth rain forest.

[5] The Quinault River has been reaching new recorded lows in recent years, as it was fed by the Anderson Glacier which had melted away by 2011.