Quick Guide to Cove Palisades State Park

Dock on lake with desert hill and cliffs

Three rivers through the desert meet in Cove Palisades State Park. Along with an artificial boost from the Round Butte Dam, the confluence of the Deschutes, Crooked, and Metolius Rivers forms Lake Billy Chinook. Amid the muted colors of Central Oregon’s high desert, the lake’s sapphire blue is as shocking as a thunderclap. Add in the towering basalt cliffs of the river canyons and you have some truly unforgettable scenery. The Cove Palisades is mostly a boating destination, but also has a stunning hiking trail, ancient petroglyphs, gnarled juniper trees, campgrounds, and wildlife-watching. Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Cove Palisades State Park.

Lake in canyon with wall cliffs and distant mountains — *Lake Billy Chinook*

Know before you go

To park in Cove Palisades State Park, you need the Oregon State Park Pass. It’s $10/day or $30/year. You can buy a day pass with a credit card in the park.
Leashed dogs are welcome in Cove Palisades State Park. The Deschutes River Campground has an off-leash area.
Restrooms and picnic tables are in the park’s several day-use areas. Some close seasonally and are open in the summer.
Watch for rattlesnakes.
The Cove Palisades Resort has a cafe and store. It’s on the park’s east side near the Crooked River Day-use Area.
Most visitors stay near the marina, but the park has more to see. SW Jordan Road connects the highlights. It’s paved and in good condition.

Low suspension bridge across river — *Suspension bridge on SW Jordan Rd*

When to visit

Most people visit Cove Palisades State Park in the summer to take advantage of the boating, but it’s a great year-round destination. The off-season is better for hiking, fishing, and birdwatching. Cooler weather means more quiet without the noise of motorboats and jet skis. Snow occasionally blocks access to the hiking trails, but they’re usually open all year. Spring and fall are my favorite hiking seasons when the unshaded trails aren’t punishingly hot or cold. Look for wildflowers in spring and into summer.

Yellow flowers in front of river — *Wildflowers at Cove Palisades State Park*

Some of the campgrounds and amenities at Cove Palisades State Park close seasonally. Plan to be more independent from fall through spring. The marina and some of the day-use areas were still closed during my last visit in mid-April. The restroom buildings close seasonally, but you can still use the vault toilets. Everything will be open in the summer months, including the marina, store, and boat rental services. Summer temperatures can get above 100 F, making it extra tempting to cool off by the water.

Picnic tables on grass near lake with cliffs behind — *Upper Deschutes Day-use Area*

Boating, swimming, and day-use

Cove Palisades State Park is a rare place where you can find a huge body of water in the desert. Lake Billy Chinook is named after a guide from the Wasco tribe who helped an exploring expedition led by John C. Frémont in the 1800s. The lake stays broad and deep all year, making it a perfect spot to spend time on the water. The tall cliffs add drama to the scenery, emphasizing the lake’s extraordinary scale.

Boat dock on lake with big cliffs — *Universal access dock in the Crooked River Day-use Area*

Cove Palisades State Park has three day-use areas: the Upper Deschutes, Lower Deschutes, and Crooked River Day-use Areas. They all have boat launches, picnic tables, restrooms, and swimming areas. If you don’t have a boat, you can rent one from the Cove Palisades Marina from late spring to early fall. Rentals range from kayaks and paddleboards (around $35 for 2 hours) to motorboats, party barges, and pontoons (several hundred dollars for the day).

Petroglyphs

The Petroglyph Site is a fascinating but easy-to-overlook highlight of Cove Palisades State Park. It’s near the park headquarters. From the Crooked River Day-use Area and marina, take SW Jordan Rd over the suspension bridge across the Crooked River. The Petroglyph Site is a small turnout on your left.

A fence surrounds the Crooked River Petroglyph, a boulder covered with ancient etchings. The interpretive sign at the site raises more questions than it answers, explaining that the petroglyphs “document or share information, life events, or spiritual beliefs.” In other words, we don’t know who carved them, when they were carved, or why. We do know that they’re very old, making it less surprising that we’ve lost the finer points of their origin. People have been visiting the Cove Palisades for thousands of years before the arrival of White settlers and explorers. The area had a long history as a gathering place and travel route for local tribes. The petroglyphs are a legacy of that history and are likely thousands of years old.

petroglyphs on rock — *Petroglyph details*

The Crooked River Petroglyph used to sit about a mile away from its current location. It was moved to protect it from flooding after the construction of Round Butte Dam in the 1960s. Stop by and take pictures. Just don’t touch the rock. Finger oil can damage petroglyphs.

Hiking

Peninsula between two rivers in the desert — *View of the Island from the Tam-a-lau Trail*

Cove Palisades State Park only has one major hiking trail, the Tam-a-lau Trail, but it’s awesome. Since the park is more of a boating destination than a hiking one, the trail stays pretty calm, although the jet ski noise can be a nuisance in summer. The 6.5-mile hike starts with a climb up to a plateau that tapers to a point between the Deschutes and Crooked Rivers. The loop trail on the plateau has dramatic views of the river canyons, Cascade Mountain peaks, and a protected research area called the Island.

Besides the Tam-a-lau Trail, Cove Palisades State Park has a couple of shorter hikes:

The Wetlands Nature Trail is a quarter-mile trail by the Crooked River Campground that explores a wetland area being restored after wildfire damage.
The Crooked River Rim Trail is a 2-mile out-and-back trail that overlooks the Crooked River Canyon. On a clear day, you can spot some Cascade peaks.

Wildlife

Osprey flying — *Osprey flies above Cove Palisades*

The animals in Cove Palisades State Park tend to be pretty shy, but you can spot some critters with patience. First, I should mention the rattlesnakes. I saw one on the Tam-a-lau Trail. It slithered away from me not wanting trouble any more than I did. Still, a good reminder to watch my step. The hiking trails are great places to look for lizards, rabbits, mule deer, and coyotes. Overhead, watch for ospreys, red-tailed hawks, and bald eagles. A lovely surprise was stopping by the water at the Upper Deschutes Day-use Area and seeing dozens of swallowtail butterflies on the sand.

Two butterflies on sand near water — *Swallowtail butterflies on the beach*

Geology of the Cove Palisades

The story of the Cove Palisades is one of rivers and volcanos. About 1.2 million years ago, lava flowed through the Crooked River and Deschutes River canyons, depositing basalt that hardened into hexagonal columns. Over time, the rivers reestablished their courses and wore through the basalt. This erosion exposed the columns and created tall cliffs, some up to 500 feet high. You can see the cliffs from just about everywhere in Cove Palisades State Park. The best views are from the Tam-a-lau hiking trail.

Mount Jefferson behind river canyon — *Mount Jefferson behind the cliffs of the Cove Palisades*

While the canyons formed naturally, Lake Billy Chinook would not exist if not for the construction of Round Butte Dam in 1964. This dam across the Deschutes River filled the lake several hundred feet deep. If you visit in the summer, you can see the Round Butte Dam by leaving Cove Palisades State Park and driving north to Round Butte Overlook Park. The overlook is open Thursday through Sunday from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend. It’s open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday through the end of September.

Sign for Round Butte Overlook — *Round Butte Overlook Park is open seasonally*

Camping

Cove Palisades State Park has two campgrounds, one on the Crooked River and the other on the Deschutes. They have RV sites with hook-ups, tent sites, group sites, restrooms, and hot showers.

The Crooked River Campground is open year-round. The Crooked River Rim Trail and Wetland Nature Trail start here.
The Deschutes River Campground is open from early May to mid-September. It has an off-leash dog area and is near the petroglyphs. The Tam-a-lau Trail starts here.

You can reserve a campsite up to six months in advance through Oregon State Parks. Tent sites run about $24/night. RV sites are about $40/night.

If camping sounds a bit too rustic, the Cove Palisades Resort rents a few cabins overlooking Lake Billy Chinook for around $200/night. The cabins have mini kitchens, bathrooms, and BBQs. Reservations for summertime sell out quickly.

If cabin glamping is still too rustic, the resort rents houseboats for luxury stays. They have all the comforts of home plus a whole bunch my home doesn’t have. Think hot tub, air conditioning, entertainment system, and water slide.

Dock on water in river canyon — *Crooked River Day-use Area*

Getting there

Cove Palisades State Park is in Central Oregon. It’s a little under an hour north of Bend and about 2.5 hours southeast of Portland. From either city, you’ll enter on the park’s east side. SW Jordan Rd connects the campgrounds, day-use areas, and attractions in the park.

Explore nearby

Hiking trail overlooking Deschutes River — Learn more about hiking the **Tam-a-lau Trail**.

Visit the beautiful swimming hole at **Steelhead Falls**.

See more amazing rock formations at **Smith Rock State Park**.