Description
The headwaters of the Deschutes River is Little Lava Lake, a lake in the Cascade Mountains located approximately 26 miles (42 km) northwest of the city of LaPine. The river flows south into Crane Prairie Reservoir then into a second reservoir (the Wickiup Reservoir, from there it heads in a northeasterly direction past the resort community of Sunriver into the city of Bend). In Bend, much of the river's waters is diverted for irrigation by the Central Oregon Irrigation District; as a result, the river is much smaller when it leaves the city. Mirror Pond is an impoundment in central Bend for electrical generation and a scenic area in Drake Park.
The river continues north from Bend, past the city of Redmond. As it heads north through the central Oregon desert, the river carves a gorge, bordered by large basalt cliffs. By the time it reaches Lake Billy Chinook west of Madras, the river is approximately 300 feet (91 m) below the surrounding plateau, Little Agency Plains and Agency Plains. At Lake Billy Chinook (a lake formed by Round Butte Dam), the river is joined by the Crooked and Metolius rivers.
Beyond the dam, the river continues north in a gorge well below the surrounding countryside. It passes through the Warm Springs Indian Reservation, including the city of Warm Springs and the Kah-Nee-Ta resort. The river ends at its confluence with the Columbia, 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Biggs Junction.
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