The Cove Palisades State Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Cove Palisades State Park |
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| Type | Public, state |
| Location | Jefferson County, Oregon |
| Nearest city | Culver, Oregon |
| Operated by | Oregon Parks and Recreation Department |
The Cove Palisades State Park is a beautiful state park in Oregon, USA. It is located in eastern Jefferson County. The park is near the towns of Culver and Madras in central Oregon. The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department manages this special place.
The park sits on the waters and land around Lake Billy Chinook. This lake was formed by a dam that holds back the waters of three rivers. These rivers are the Crooked River, Deschutes River, and Metolius River.
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Fun Things to Do at The Cove Palisades
The Cove Palisades State Park has many exciting things for visitors to enjoy! You can stay overnight at one of the two campgrounds. The park also offers cozy cabins you can rent. If you need snacks or supplies, there is a place to buy them.
The park is right on Lake Billy Chinook. This means you can easily get to the water! You can rent boats or other watercraft to explore the lake. Fishing is also a very popular activity here. There are special areas for day use and picnics. You can also explore the park on its many hiking trails. The park shares historical information too. This includes the Crooked River Petroglyph, which is an ancient rock carving.
Discover Lake Billy Chinook
Lake Billy Chinook is a large lake surrounded by deep canyons. These canyons were carved by the three rivers over many years. The land around the lake is held in place by strong basalt rock.
How Lake Billy Chinook Was Formed
The Round Butte Dam was finished in 1964. It was built across the Deschutes River. This dam created Lake Billy Chinook. Portland General Electric (PGE) operates the dam. PGE and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs own it together. The dam and lake mainly create electricity for homes across Oregon.
Who Was Billy Chinook?
The Confederated Tribes named the lake after Billy Chinook. He was a member of the Wasco tribe. Billy Chinook was a guide in 1843 and 1844. He helped explorers John C. Frémont and Kit Carson in the area. The lake is bigger than just the park's boundaries.
Fish and the Dam
Special systems were put in place at Round Butte Dam to help fish. However, fish that swim from the ocean to rivers, like Chinook salmon, could not get past the dam. Because of this, these fish have been blocked from their old spawning grounds. Spawning grounds are places where fish lay their eggs. These grounds were once plentiful on the upper Deschutes River and its smaller rivers.
The Island: A Special Protected Area
There is a unique plateau called "The Island" within the park. It is surrounded by the Crooked River and Deschutes River arms of Lake Billy Chinook. This area is about 200 acres (0.8 square kilometers). It looks like an island because it is cut off by high, steep cliffs. It is actually a peninsula.
In 1986, "The Island" was named a Research Natural Area. This means it is a special place for nature research. It has one of the last untouched natural areas from before people settled in the western United States. To protect this special environment, "The Island" was closed to almost all visitors in 1997.
