“Lake Billy Chinook Sunrise”

Description

“Lake Billy Chinook Sunrise”

Oregon’s Three Sisters and Lake Billy Chinook

Central Oregon’s stunning Lake Billy Chinook is located near the city of Culver, Oregon.  It is formed Round Butte Dam which was built just below the confluence of Three Great Rivers, the Deschutes River, the Crooked River,  and the Metolius River.

These three rivers and their tributaries drain a total of over 7,500 square miles east of Oregon’s Cascade mountains.  Billy Chinook is noted for its steep basalt walls some of which are up to 700 feet tall.  In spring, the shores of the lake briefly green up but quickly return to the pastel colors characteristic of Oregon’s High Desert.  With an average depth of over 100 feet and a maximum depth of over 700 feet, it is famed for its boating and fishing options.  Viewpoints along the palisades of the lake offer stunning views of the Three Sisters Mountains, Broken Top Mountain,  Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Bachelor, and the distant Mt. Hood.

The lake was named after, “Billy Chinook”, a Native American fo the Wasco tribe who accompanied John C. Freemont and Kit Carson on their western adventures.   Cove Palisades State Park is located on the shores of the lake, near the confluence of the Crooked River and the Deschutes River.  The park offers countless amenities, including water craft rentals, camping options, a marina, and camp store. Excellent fishing for Brown Trout, smallmouth bass, Kokanee salmon as well as Bull Trout is also available at this rugged desert lake, Central Oregon’s Largest body of water.

Excellent spring hiking can be experienced on the Tam-A-Lau Trail found in Cove Palisades  as well the Otter Bench Trail, located up stream in the Crooked River Canyon and the Scout Camp Trail in the Deschutes River Canyon.

In this Beautiful fine art print of Lake Billy Chinook, Mt. Bachelor, Broken Top, and the Three Sisters are all visible during a stunning sunrise.