The Cove Palisades

The Cove Palisades State Park protects dramatic canyon landscapes where the Deschutes, Crooked, and Metolius rivers converge at Lake Billy Chinook, a reservoir in central Oregon's high desert. The park covers approximately 18 square kilometers featuring towering basalt cliffs rising 700 feet above the water, creating spectacular geological scenery. Established in 1962, shortly after completion of Round Butte Dam created the lake, the park has become one of Oregon's premier water recreation destinations. The park attracts boaters, anglers, campers, and sightseers enjoying the unique combination of high desert environment, water recreation, and geological wonders.

The park's diverse habitats support high desert wildlife including mule deer, coyotes, bobcats, raccoons, and various small mammals adapted to arid conditions and rocky terrain. Golden eagles, prairie falcons, red-tailed hawks, and other raptors nest on cliff faces and hunt across the canyon landscape, while osprey dive for fish in the reservoir. The lake supports populations of bull trout, rainbow trout, kokanee salmon, and smallmouth bass, attracting anglers and providing prey for ospreys and eagles. Rattlesnakes, various lizard species, and amphibians in riparian areas represent the reptile and amphibian fauna, while bighorn sheep have been successfully reintroduced to the canyon cliffs.

Desert shrub vegetation dominates upland areas with big sagebrush, rabbitbrush, antelope bitterbrush, and juniper characteristic of the high desert environment. Riparian areas along the inflowing rivers support willows, cottonwoods, and water birch before their channels enter the reservoir. Spring wildflowers including desert parsley, lupine, balsamroot, and Indian paintbrush bloom across slopes and flats following wet winters. Native bunchgrasses persist in protected areas, though invasive annual grasses including cheatgrass have spread throughout disturbed sites, altering fire regimes and competing with native vegetation.

The park showcases spectacular exposures of Columbia River Basalt, massive lava flows from 15-17 million years ago that form the distinctive vertical cliffs rising from the reservoir. These basalt layers accumulated from repeated flood basalt eruptions, creating the stepped appearance visible in canyon walls where different flows cooled and fractured. The original river canyons were carved over millions of years through these basalt layers, with Round Butte Dam creating Lake Billy Chinook by flooding the confluence of three major central Oregon rivers. Ongoing geological processes include rockfall from fractured basalt columns, cliff weathering, and sediment deposition in the reservoir behind the dam.

The park experiences a high desert climate with hot, dry summers and cold winters with occasional snow at elevations around 2,000-3,000 feet. Summer temperatures regularly reach 90-100°F during July and August, making water recreation highly popular for cooling off in desert heat. Winter temperatures can drop below 20°F during cold snaps, with snow accumulation variable depending on winter storm patterns and elevation. Annual precipitation averages only 10-12 inches, mostly falling as rain and snow during winter and spring months, while summer drought is typical with intense sun and low humidity.

The confluence of three rivers was a significant location for Native peoples including Northern Paiute and Warm Springs tribes who fished for salmon and utilized the area for thousands of years. The traditional fishing sites were inundated when Round Butte Dam was completed in 1964, fundamentally altering the landscape and ending millennia of salmon runs to the upper Deschutes basin. European-American settlement brought ranching to the region, though the remote canyons remained relatively inaccessible until dam construction. The dam's completion for hydroelectric power generation created the reservoir and prompted state park development to provide recreation access to the new lake.

The Cove Palisades State Park was established in 1962-1964 concurrent with Round Butte Dam's construction and the filling of Lake Billy Chinook. Early development focused on boat ramps, campgrounds, and day-use facilities providing access to the reservoir's 72 miles of shoreline surrounded by dramatic basalt cliffs. The park has expanded and improved over decades, adding modern campgrounds, marina facilities, and trails while managing increased visitation to this desert oasis. Management balances water recreation with resource protection, addressing challenges from invasive species, wildfire risk, cliff safety, and maintaining facilities in the harsh desert environment with extreme temperature swings.

Boating and water skiing on Lake Billy Chinook's three arms attract visitors seeking water recreation amid spectacular canyon scenery with minimal boat traffic compared to more crowded lakes. Fishing for trout, kokanee, bass, and occasional bull trout provides year-round angling opportunities from boats or shore. The Ship Rock trail and other hiking routes offer access to viewpoints overlooking the canyon and reservoir, with spring wildflower displays and opportunities to observe geological features. Camping in modern campgrounds with electricity, showers, and proximity to the lake makes the park suitable for extended stays enjoying desert recreation and water sports.

The park is located approximately 15 miles southwest of Madras via Highway 97 and local roads, accessible year-round though water levels fluctuate seasonally due to dam operations. Facilities include two full-service campgrounds with RV sites, tent camping, cabins, hot showers, and flush toilets, plus a marina with boat rentals, launch ramps, and marine fuel. Day-use areas offer picnic facilities, swimming beaches, and parking, while concessions provide limited groceries and camping supplies during summer season. The remote desert location requires visitors to bring adequate water, sun protection, and supplies, as services near the park are limited.

Invasive species including cheatgrass and other annual grasses create severe wildfire risk, requiring active management through vegetation control, fire prevention, and emergency response planning. The reservoir's creation eliminated salmon runs and altered ecosystems, though fish passage and reintroduction efforts have been attempted with mixed success. Cliff safety is a concern due to unstable basalt columns that periodically collapse, requiring closures of hazardous areas and visitor education about rockfall risks. Climate change impacts include increased drought severity affecting reservoir levels, heightened wildfire risk threatening park infrastructure and visitor safety, and extreme heat events that stress both natural systems and visitors recreating in the desert environment.