slavenlt wrote:
I live here in Bend.
Prineville reservoir is my favored lake because of proximity to Bend. Less traffic on the water and a great day use ramp(Powderhouse Cove) that is free to use. The Sheriff's are great and very reasonable folks. Water levels can be easily checked on the detailed conditions at the bottom of the prieville reservoir state park website at Oregon.gov
Billy Chinook has a pretty steep Canyon to get down into the day use(Crooked River day use) and there is a parking fee of $5 unless you have a pass. The water is typically wide open because of the expanse of the lake but there is generally a lot of boats. Water has a tough time dissipating off the canyon walls. Algae bloom is hit or miss but since 2 different tributaries feed the lake you can find some great water somewhere in there. Sherriff's are more stringent on regulations because they deal with so many people and don't really have time for b.s.
Cultus is awesome but quite a bit smaller than the two above. Beautiful crystal clear water and some of the best first come first serve boat camping on the west side of the lake. Mosquitoes are rampant this month in the camp areas but as long as you are on the water you are good. Highly recommend if you are day tripping to hit this lake up because the experience of the clear water is incomparable to anything else. You can literally see through the wave.
Crescent is an additional hour south and I have no experience with this lake yet but from what I hear it is similar to Cultus, just much bigger. White sand beaches on a couple stretches make for an impressive lake in the middle of nothing. Beautiful crystal blue clear water.
Finally to wrap it all up, all these lakes get blown out in the afternoon but if you give it some time, the early day and evening rides are worth sticking around.
Hit me up if you have any questions about em and I will steer you in the right direction.
Thanks for the rec!! We made it to Prineville and Billi Chinook and had a blast in Bend. Stayed in a great VRBO on Georgia by downtown. I see why so many people want to move there. What an awesome place! Thanks again for the recs.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
