Lake Billy Chinook
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Oregon Lakes Carry Water Warnings

State advisories warn about risk of harmful algae blooms, including Lake Billy Chinook
Hilary Corrigan

Those traveling to lakes through Oregon this summer may want to watch the advisories from the Oregon Health Authority. On July 19, the state agency set advisories for Upper Klamath Lake at Eagle Ridge County Park in Klamath County, Tenmile Lakes at South Lake in Coos County and Cullaby Lake in Clatsop County due to […]

Posted inOutside

Eagle Watch

In the wake of the federal shutdown, the annual event that almost wasn’t in 2019
Jim Anderson

Eagle Watch, the premier event of spring in Central Oregon for the last 24 years, is set to happen Feb. 23 and 24 at the Round Butte Overlook—a little way from Culver on Lake Billy Chinook. If you’ve been taking part over the years, you know what fun it is for anyone wanting to know […]

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Graham Fire Nearing Containment

Wildfire near Lake Billy Chinook started by lightning
Chris Miller

Lightning strikes that came with thunderstorms that rattled windows and dropped hail and heavy rains June 20 ignited three fires in Central Oregon. The Graham Fire, first reported June 21 near the town of Culver, burned nearly 2,200 acres and was 85 percent contained as of June 26, according to the Central Oregon Fire Information. […]

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In Search of a Cooler River

Deschutes River Alliance files suit against PGE
Avatar photo Nicole Vulcan

To the average houseboater dipping her toes in Lake Billy Chinook, the water might feel relatively warm and inviting. Well below the surface, however, the temperatures take a nosedive. The frigid waters of the Metolius River flow into the reservoir and sink to the bottom, while the warm waters of the Crooked River stay near […]

Posted inOutside

The Newest Water Sport: Flyboarding!

Hoverboards are so two years ago, McFly!
Avatar photo Phil Busse

As October 21, 2015 approaches—the exact date Marty McFly programmed into Doc Brown’s time traveling DeLorean in Back To the Future II—there has been a certain buzz about what has and hasn’t come to fruition in the perceived future, and a certain amount of bellyaching that the hoverboard promised in that movie has yet to […]

Posted inOutside

Go Here: Balancing Rocks

Avatar photo Corbin Gentzler

Northwest of Lake Billy Chinook a road dead ends into a short dirt trail, and at the end of that trail lies one of the most spectacular and unusual remnants of Oregon’s volcanic history. Known only as Balancing Rocks, it is exactly as the name suggests, a field of massive boulders precariously balanced atop stone […]

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Like Snow Skiing, But Warmer!

Lake Billy Chinook offers wakeboarding and waterskiing
Avatar photo Phil Busse

The two happiest days of a boat owner, I was once told, are the day you buy the boat, and the day you sell it. I disagree. The happiest days of a boat owner should be the days inbetween buying it and selling it (or, in the case of my last waterski boat, when it […]

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