Lake Billy Chinook

Cove Palisades

Cove Palisades State Park is located in central Oregon. The park surrounds the lands of Lake Billy Chinook, an impoundment of the Crooked, Deschutes, and Metolius Rivers. Lake Billy Chinook lies in basaltic caprock canyons carved by the three rivers. Construction of the Round Butte Dam was completed in 1964 across the Deschutes River. Operated by Portland General Electric (PGE), and jointly owned by PGE and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, 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, a member of the Wasco tribe who acted as a guide for John C. Frémont in the region of the lake. The lake extends beyond the boundaries of Cove Palisades State Park. Although fish passage facilities were installed at Round Butte Dam, anadromous fish, such as Chinook salmon, 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.