All Aboard the Party Barge

(Courtesy of Cove Palisades Resort)

By Nicole Vulcan

The main attraction at the Cove Palisades State Park (7300 SW Jordan Road, Culver, 800-551-6949, oregonstateparks.org) is Lake Billy Chinook, the deep and massive reservoir formed by the Round Butte Dam near the confluence of the Crooked, Deschutes and Metolius rivers. As the immense parking lots at multiple water access points illustrate, this is a popular destination for boaters, especially during the summer. Still, the folks at the Cove Palisades Resort and Marina (5700 SW Marina Drive, Culver, 541-546-9999, covepalisadesresort.com), who offer a variety of water vessels to rent, say the lake is big enough to give plenty of people room to play. The next-level way to do this is by booking a stay in a houseboat for you and your crew. Rented in three-day-minimum or seven-day increments, the floating pads range from more modest RV-style arrangements to luxury accommodations that include a hot tub, open-air wet bar and second-story slide. When your road trip offers plenty of time for pit stops that go big, this is perhaps the biggest of them all.

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