Latitude: 44.60361
Longitude: -121.27667

Information: Lake Billy Chinook lies in canyons carved by the three rivers into earth held in place by basaltic caprock. 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 The Cove Palisades State Park. Although fish passage facilities were installed at Round Butte Dam, anadromous fish, such as Chinook salmon failed to be able to pass the dam. As a result, since the dam's completion migratory fish have blocked from once-abundant spawning grounds on the upper Deschutes River and tributaries such as the Crooked River.