The Cove Palisades State Park is a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

in eastern Jefferson County,

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, near

Culver Culver may refer to: Places United Kingdom *Culver Down, Isle of Wight United States *Culver, Indiana, a town in northern Indiana * Culver, Kansas, a city in north-central Kansas * Culver, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Culver, Misso ...

and

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

in the

central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

part of the state, and is administered by the

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD), officially known (in state law) as the State Parks and Recreation Department, is the government agency of the U.S. state of Oregon which operates its system of state parks. In addition, it has pro ...

. It is located on the waters and surrounding lands of

Lake Billy Chinook Lake Billy Chinook is a reservoir in Jefferson County, Oregon, Jefferson County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Created by the Round Butte Dam in 1964, Lake Billy Chinook lies in a canyon at the confluence of the Crooked River (Oregon), Crooked, Desch ...

, an

impoundment Impoundment may refer to: Water control * The result of a dam, creating a body of water ** A reservoir, formed by a dam ** Coal slurry impoundment, a specialized form of such a reservoir used for coal mining and processing * Impounded dock, an enc ...

of the Crooked, Deschutes, and Metolius rivers.

Visitor opportunities

The park offers two full-service campgrounds, rental cabins, food and supplies for sale, marina access to Lake Billy Chinook with watercraft rentals, fishing, day use and picnic areas, and hiking trails. The park also offers historical interpretation, which includes the Crooked River

Petroglyph A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...

in the park. There have also been some star parties that have been held at the state park.

Lake Billy Chinook

Lake Billy Chinook lies in canyons carved by the three rivers into earth held in place by basaltic caprock. Construction of the

Round Butte Dam Round Butte Dam is a rockfill-type hydroelectric dam on the Deschutes River, in the U.S. state of Oregon. Located in Jefferson County and owned by the power company Portland General Electric, its reservoir is called Lake Billy Chinook. The dam w ...

was completed in 1964 across the Deschutes River. Operated by

Portland General Electric Portland General Electric (PGE) is a Fortune 1000 public utility based in Portland, Oregon. It distributes electricity to customers in parts of Multnomah, Clackamas, Marion, Yamhill, Washington, and Polk counties - 44% of the inhabitants of O ...

(PGE), and jointly owned by PGE and the

Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs is a recognized Native American tribe made of three tribes who put together a confederation. They live on and govern the Warm Springs Indian Reservation in the U.S. state of Oregon. Tribes The confederat ...

, the dam and lake primarily provide electric generation for thousands of homes throughout the state. The Confederated Tribes named the lake in honor of

Billy Chinook Billy Chinook was a chief and member of the Wasco-Wishram, Wasco tribe. Chinook was a guide for John C. Frémont and Kit Carson, who explored Central Oregon from 1843 to 1844 and from 1845 to 1847. Chinook also served as First sergeant, First Ser ...

, a member of the

Wasco Wasco is the name of four places in the United States: Places United States * Wasco, California, a city in California ** Wasco State Prison, located in Wasco, California * Wasco, Illinois, a former hamlet (unincorporated town) in Illinois, now pa ...

tribe who acted as a guide in 1843 and 1844 for

John C. Frémont John Charles Frémont or Fremont (January 21, 1813July 13, 1890) was an American explorer, military officer, and politician. He was a U.S. Senator from California and was the first Republican nominee for president of the United States in 1856 ...

and

Kit Carson Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman. He was a fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent, and U.S. Army officer. He became a frontier legend in his own lifetime by biographies and n ...

in the region of the lake. The lake extends beyond the boundaries of The Cove Palisades State Park. Although fish passage facilities were installed at Round Butte Dam,

anadromous Fish migration is mass relocation by fish from one area or body of water to another. Many types of fish migrate on a regular basis, on time scales ranging from daily to annually or longer, and over distances ranging from a few metres to thousan ...

fish, such as

Chinook salmon The Chinook salmon (''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha'') is the largest and most valuable species of Pacific salmon in North America, as well as the largest in the genus ''Oncorhynchus''. Its common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples. Other ve ...

, have failed to pass the dam. As a result, since the dam's completion migratory fish have been blocked from once-abundant spawning grounds on the upper Deschutes River and tributaries such as the Crooked River.Deschutes Subbasin Plan
Northwest Power and Conservation Council

Research natural area

Embraced by the Crooked River and Deschutes River Arms of Lake Billy Chinook, the isolated, plateau called "The Island" (actually a peninsula, but with the appearance of an island due to its isolation by high, sheer cliffs) was designated a

research natural area Research Natural Area is a designation for certain protected areas in the United States. Research Natural Areas (RNAs) are part of a nationwide network of ecological areas set aside for both research and education. The network includes areas man ...

in 1986. The Island supports one of the last relatively pristine remnants of pre-settlement ecology in the

western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...

, and was closed to virtually all public access in 1997.

References

External links

Official website at the Oregon Parks and Recreation DepartmentPortland General Electric fact sheet on the Pelton Round Butte Project
{{authority control Parks in Jefferson County, Oregon Portland General Electric State parks of Oregon

Visitor opportunities

Lake Billy Chinook

Research natural area

See also

References

External links