Lake Billy Chinook
 

We are house boating there in late aug. does anyone have a suggestion where to put the houseboat? Looking for GOOD water, whole purpose of the trip.

Thanks for the suggestions in advance!😜

At the end of the Metolius river arm the lake has a horseshoe bend in it. The south side of that is a popular spot, and the stretch between there and the end of the Metolius is usually calmer than everything else. The Metolius in general is usually your best bet, but whatever you do hit it early or you'll be disappointed.

We went last year in August and were disappointed. The steep canyon walls bounce all the rollers back into the reservoir. Even with minimal boat traffic on a no wind day results in washing machine conditions. Hit it early. Kids had fun tubing and surfing. The water is warm enough and the scenery is pretty with the steep canyon walls.

Thanks for the feed back guys! It's my college graduation trip so it'll be great no matter what! But I certainly wouldn't be complaining about some glass 😜

As for fun things to do aside from riding, you can motor up past the no wake zones on the Metolious or Crooked River arms of the lake for a polar plunge. It's less than a mile of no wake on the Metolious and several miles on the Crooked, but on both arms the water will rapidly drop down to the low 50's or so and is nice and clear. I've found they're good places to tie up when everyone is worn out and day drunk, a quick hop in the icy water can really get everyone refreshed and ready to go again.

There's a party cove just before the horseshoe bend on the Metolious that has some decent cliff jumping. The bridges on the crooked and Deschutes rivers are good for jumping as well, though the one on the Crooked is easier to walk up to and has a platform for jumping.

Have fun out there.