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Potholes State Park |
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Park Overview
 Potholes State
Park is a 640-acre camping park with 6,000 feet of freshwater shoreline on
Potholes Reservoir (also known as O'Sullivan Reservoir). Potholes Reservoir is
often confused with the Pothole Lakes themselves, which are a 30- to 45-minute
drive from the park. The terrain is desert with freshwater marshes.
A vehicle parking permit is no longer required for day visits.
Park Hours Summer: 6:30 a.m. to dusk.
Winter: 8 a.m. to dusk.
The park is open year round for camping and day use.
Camping:
Check-in time, 2:30 p.m.
Check-out time, 1 p.m.
Quiet hours: 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.
Driving Directions Located 17 miles southwest of Moses Lake, Wash., just
east of the Cascades.
From I-90:
Take exit 179 at Moses Lake and follow signs to park.
From the south:
Take Hwy. 17 and turn west on Hwy. 262 (O'Sullivan Dam Rd.). Or take Hwy. 26 and
turn east onto Hwy. 262 (O'Sullivan Dam Rd.). Each direction is well signed.
Picnic Facilities The park provides three picnic shelters with four tables
each, plus 73 unsheltered picnic tables in a lawned, well-shaded area. All
day-use facilities are first-come, first-served. Restrooms are available in the
day-use area, located on the banks of the reservoir.
Activities
| Trails |
Water Activities |
Other |
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- Boating (freshwater)
- Boating (freshwater, non-motorized)
- 4 boat ramps (freshwater)
- 100 feet of dock (freshwater)
- Fishing (freshwater)
- Personal Watercraft (freshwater)
- Swimming (freshwater)
- Water Skiing (freshwater)
- White-water Kayaking
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- Bird Watching
- 2 Volleyball Fields
- Wildlife Viewing
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Volleyball players must bring their own equipment.
Boating FeaturesFour boat ramps and 100 feet of dock are provided by the park.
Water levels in O'Sullivan Reservoir (Potholes Reservoir) fluctuate dramatically
from spring to fall.
A daily permit is available for watercraft launching and trailer dumping at the
park for $5.
Annual permits also may be purchased at State Parks Headquarters in Olympia, at
region offices, online, and at parks when staff is available.
Featured Creatures
| Mammals |
Birds |
Fish & Sea Life |
- Badgers
- Coyotes
- Deer or Elk
- Marmots
- Otters
- Rabbits
- Raccoons
- Skunks
- Weasels
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- Chukars
- Crows or Ravens
- Doves or Pigeons
- Ducks
- Eagles
- Geese
- Grouse
- Gulls
- Hawks
- Herons
- Hummingbirds
- Ospreys
- Owls
- Pheasants
- Quail
- Swans
- Woodpeckers
- Wrens
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- Bass
- Bluegill
- Bullhead
- Crappie
- Perch
- Trout
- Walleye
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Environmental Features
| Physical Features |
Plant Life |
Special |
The park is located in the area of
the West known as "the Scablands." The terrain was formed by
large lava flows, followed by huge floods (known as Missoula
floods) and winds. Large sand dunes, coulees and lava flows can
be visited near the park.
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- Ponderosa Pine
- Ash
- Birch
- Maple
- Oak
- Poplar
- Rose
- Seaweed
- Thistle
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History O'Sullivan Reservoir (Potholes Reservoir) was formed as a result of two
major events, one natural and one man-made. Huge depressions (30 to 70 yards
wide and 10 to 60 feet deep) were made in the earth during the Pleistocene
flooding. Those depressions were filled with water (making "pothole" lakes) when
the water table rose in the 1950s with the creation of O'Sullivan Dam. The dam
was part of a project by the Bureau of Reclamation to provide irrigation water
to farmers. |
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