Wickiup Reservoir is the second-largest

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

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 ...

. It is located southwest of Bend, and is the largest of the

Cascade Lakes The Cascade Lakes are a collection of lakes in central Oregon in the United States. The 12 lakes and two reservoirs are found along the Deschutes river, east side of the Cascade Range in Deschutes County, Oregon. The lakes begin west of Mount ...

. Wickiup Reservoir is close to the Twin Lakes,

Davis Lake Davis Lake straddles the border between Deschutes County and Klamath County in the U.S. state of Oregon. A relatively large and shallow lake in the Deschutes National Forest, it is located toward the south end of the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway, ...

Crane Prairie Reservoir Crane Prairie Reservoir is a man-made lake located about southwest of Bend in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. The reservoir is named for the cranes that thrive in its habitat and for the upper Deschutes River prairie that once covered ...

, Cultus Lake, and Little Cultus Lake. The reservoir is located within the

Deschutes National Forest The Deschutes National Forest is a United States National Forest located in parts of Deschutes, Klamath, Lake, and Jefferson counties in central Oregon. It comprises along the east side of the Cascade Range. In 1908, the Deschutes National ...

and the Fort Rock Ranger District, near the

Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway The Cascades Lakes Scenic Byway (Forest Route 46) is a National Scenic Byway in central Oregon in the United States. It runs for in the rugged country of Deschutes and Klamath counties on the east side of the Cascade Range. It offers partic ...

. Like nearby Crane Prairie Reservoir, Wickiup Reservoir was created by damming of the

Deschutes River Deschutes River may refer to: *Deschutes River (Oregon) The Deschutes River in central Oregon is a major tributary of the Columbia River. The river provides much of the drainage on the eastern side of the Cascade Range in Oregon, gathering many ...

. The Wickiup Dam was built in 1949 by the

United States Bureau of Reclamation The Bureau of Reclamation, and formerly the United States Reclamation Service, is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior, which oversees water resource management, specifically as it applies to the oversight and opera ...

for the "Deschutes Project" and "Pringle Falls Experimental Forest", which is used for education and research. Other nearby dams include the Crane Prairie Dam and the Haystack Dam. Wickiup Reservoir's earthen dam is long. The Deschutes River, which originates at

Little Lava Lake Little Lava Lake lies in the Cascade Range about west-southwest of Bend in the U.S. state of Oregon. A close neighbor of Lava Lake, from which it is separated by solidified lava, Little Lava Lake is at an elevation of in the Deschutes National ...

, is an inflow and an outflow of Wickiup Reservoir. The average depth of the reservoir is , with depths up to in channels. Because of this, fishing is very popular in the lake, especially for

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morph ...

. Wickiup Reservoir is dubbed as the best lake for brown trout fishing in the state. The trout average between , but some reach over . According to the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

, Wickiup Reservoir is one of Central Oregon's best wildlife viewing areas. Some of the nature that thrives in the area include

waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which in ...

shorebirds 245px, A flock of Dunlins and Red knots">Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflat ...

hoofed mammals Ungulates ( ) are members of the diverse clade Ungulata which primarily consists of large mammals with hooves. These include odd-toed ungulates such as horses, rhinoceroses, and tapirs; and even-toed ungulates such as cattle, pigs, giraffes, ...

ponderosa pine ''Pinus ponderosa'', commonly known as the ponderosa pine, bull pine, blackjack pine, western yellow-pine, or filipinus pine is a very large pine tree species of variable habitat native to mountainous regions of western North America. It is the ...

, and

lodgepole pine ''Pinus contorta'', with the common names lodgepole pine and shore pine, and also known as twisted pine, and contorta pine, is a common tree in western North America. It is common near the ocean shore and in dry montane forests to the subalpine, ...

. Also at Wickiup Reservoir are several recreation options. There are six campgrounds on site, all of which include a

boat ramp A slipway, also known as boat ramp or launch or boat deployer, is a ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water. They are used for building and repairing ships and boats, and for launching and retrieving small ...

, toilets and water. On August 12, 2009, the

Oregon Department of Human Services The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) is the principal human services agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. ODHS helps Oregonians achieve wellbeing and independence through opportunities that protect, empower, respect ch ...

issued a health advisory due to a large

algae bloom An algal bloom or algae bloom is a rapid increase or accumulation in the population of algae in Fresh water, freshwater or Ocean, marine water systems. It is often recognized by the discoloration in the water from the algae's pigments. The term ...

. They mentioned that "drinking water from Wickiup Reservoir was dangerous, even if boiled or treated" and that anyone who relies on the water from the lake should find an alternate source.

References

External links

Wickiup Reservoir (Lake County, Oregon)
a smaller reservoir west of the

Warner Valley The Warner Valley is a valley in south-central Oregon in the United States. It is a remote valley at the northwestern corner of North America's Basin and Range Province. The valley is home to a chain of lakes and wetlands known as the Warner ...

, in the Geographic Names Information System
Wickiup Dam, Deschutes River, La Pine vicinity, Deschutes, OR
at the

Historic American Engineering Record Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...

(HAER)
Wickiup Dam, Damkeeper's Headquarters, Deschutes River, La Pine vicinity, Deschutes, OR
at HAER
Wickiup Dam, Dikes and Spillway, Deschutes River, La Pine vicinity, Deschutes, OR
at HAER
Wickiup Dam, Outlet Works, Deschutes River, La Pine vicinity, Deschutes, OR
at HAER {{authority control Reservoirs in Oregon Lakes of Deschutes County, Oregon Buildings and structures in Deschutes County, Oregon Protected areas of Deschutes County, Oregon Deschutes National Forest 1949 establishments in Oregon Historic American Engineering Record in Oregon

See also

References

External links