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.
Want to support Washington State Parks? Get involved by joining a friends' group. For more information, visit the Friends' Group web page. Park hours/updates:
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.
Winter Schedule for all Washington State Parks
Current alerts:
Please note: The fish cleaning station at Potholes State Park is closed indefinitely.
Metal detecting: By order of the Bureau of Reclamation, this park is closed to metal detecting indefinitely.
Agency information:
Don't move firewood: Please protect the Pacific Northwest from invasive species by obtaining or purchasing your firewood at or near your camping destination (within 50 miles). Firewood can carry insects and diseases that threaten the health of our western forests. You can make a difference by buying and burning your firewood locally. For more information, visit online at www.dontmovefirewood.org or the Washington Invasive Species Council website.
The Discover Pass now can be used on either of two vehicles!Annual pass: $30
One-day pass: $10
(Transaction and dealer fees may apply)
A Discover Pass is required for motor-vehicle access to state parks and recreation lands managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
Exemptions: Your purchase of the Discover Pass supports recreation on state lands. However, the Discover Pass is not required if you are camping or renting overnight accommodations, for the duration of your stay at that state park. For additional exemptions and more information, please visit the Discover Pass
website.
Campsite Information:
The park has 61 tent spaces, 60 utility spaces, five cabins, one dump station, four restrooms (two ADA) and four showers (two ADA).
Any camping unit tent or RV may use either site type. However, any unit camped in a hookup site must pay the hookup-site fee. Maximum site length is 50 feet (may have limited availability).
There is no camping next to the reservoir.
To make a reservation, visit
online or call (888) CAMPOUT or (888) 226-7688.
Group Accommodations:
The park provides a group camp that accommodates up to 50 people. The group camp has a grassy section and is well-shaded. Facilities include a covered picnic shelter. Restroom facilities are nearby. There is a year-round creek adjacent to the group camp that provides excellent trout and bass fishing. Fees vary with size of the group. To make a reservation, visit
online or call (888) CAMPOUT or (888) 226-7688.
2013 camping fees:
Please note that the following
general fee information is not customized for each individual park, so not
all fees will apply to
all parks (for example, primitive campsite and dump station fees listed apply only to parks that have primitive campsites and dump stations).
May 15 – Sept. 15 (peak season)
Primitive campsite and water trail camping: $12
Standard campsite: $23 non-premium site, $26 premium site
Partial-utility campsite*: $30 non-premium site, $35 premium site
Full-utility campsite*: $32 non-premium site, $37 premium site
*Please note: Camping fees during the 2013 peak season are $28 for partial-utility sites and $29 for full-utility sites at Beacon Rock, Brooks Memorial, Columbia Hills, Conconully, Lewis & Clark and Schafer state parks. These parks are first come, first served.
Jan. 1 – May 14 and Sept. 16 – Dec. 31 (off-peak season)
Primitive campsite and water trail camping: $12
Standard campsite: $22 for non-premium and premium sites
Partial-utility campsite: $28 for non-premium and premium sites
Full-utility campsite: $29 for non-premium and premium sites
Maximum eight people per campsite.
Second vehicle: $10 per night is charged for a second vehicle unless it is towed by a recreational vehicle. Extra vehicles must be parked in designated campsite or extra vehicle parking spaces.
Dump stations (if available): Year-round dump station fees are $5 per use. If you are camping, this fee is included in your campsite fee.
More about park hours
Check-in time is 2:30 p.m., and check-out time is 1 p.m.
Quiet hours are from 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.
Engine-driven electric generators may be operated only between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Length of stay: You may stay up to ten consecutive days in any one park from April 1 through Sept. 30; the stay limit is extended to 20 days between Oct. 1 and March 31.
To view campsites and facilities reservable at this park, visit the
reservation system and campsite maps.
Driving Directions
Located 17 miles southwest of Moses Lake, Wash., just east of the Cascades in Grant County.
Park address:
6762 Highway 262 East
Othello, WA 99344
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.
Park Maps
To view campsites and facilities reservable at this park, visit the
reservation system and campsite maps.
Potholes downloadable pdf map #1
List of all downloadable Washington State Park
maps.
Park Features
Potholes State Park is situated on the reservoir created by construction of O'Sullivan Dam rather than the nearby "potholes geologic formations" for which it is named. Thousands are attracted to the Potholes desert area each year to enjoy fishing, hunting, bird watching, water sports and the sunshine. This desert area is unique because of its abundance of water. The area is comprised of sand dunes, rocky canyons and dozens of lakes. The Columbia Wildlife Refuge two miles east of the park is a favorite for wildlife viewing and bird watching.
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.
Interpretive opportunities
There are currently no interpretive opportunities at this park.
Services/Supplies
| Available in the park | Available in the area |
• Camping
| • Auto repair
• Airport
• Boat rental
• Camping
• Diesel
• Fishing/hunting
• Gasoline
• Gifts
• Golf
• Groceries
• Hardware
• Hospital
• Marine supplies
• Overnight Accommodations
• Pay phone
• Propane
• Recreational equipment
• White gas
• Wood
• Swimming
|
Activities
| Trails | Water Activities | Other |
• 3 mi. Hiking Trails
| • Boating (freshwater)
• 4 boat ramps (freshwater)
• 100 feet of dock (freshwater)
• Fishing (freshwater)
• Personal Watercraft (freshwater)
• Swimming (freshwater)
• Water Skiing (freshwater)
• White-water Kayaking
| • Bird Watching
• 2 Volleyball Fields
• Wildlife Viewing
|
Volleyball players must bring their own equipment.
A recreational license is required for fishing and shellfish harvesting at Washington state parks. For regulations, fishing season information or to purchase a recreational license, visit the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife website. |
Events
Free days at state parks: Visit Washington state parks for free. The Discover Pass is not required to visit a state park on ten designated free days in 2013.
The 2013 State Parks free days are as follows:
Jan. 21 – In honor of Martin Luther King Day
March 30 – In honor of Washington State Parks' 100th birthday on March 19
April 27 and 28 – National Parks Week
June 1 – National Trails Day
June 8 and 9 – National Get Outdoors Day and Department of Fish and Wildlife Free Fishing weekend
Aug. 4 – Peak season free day
Sept. 28 – National Public Lands Day
Nov. 9 through 11 – Veteran's Day weekend
Please note: A Discover Pass is still required to access lands managed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife during State Parks free days. For more information, please visit
www.discoverpass.wa.gov.
Full list of
events at Washington State Parks
Boating Features
Four 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 watercraft launching permit for $7 and a trailer dumping permit for $5 is available at the park.
Annual permits also may be purchased at State Parks Headquarters in Olympia, at region offices,
online, and at parks when staff is available.
Picnic and Day-use 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.
Wildlife
| Mammals | Birds | Fish & Sea Life |
• Badgers
• Coyotes
• Deer or Elk
• Marmots
• Otters
• Rabbits
• Raccoons
• Skunks
• Weasels
| • Chukars
• Crows or Ravens
• Doves or Pigeons
• Ducks
• Eagles
• Geese
• Grouse
• Gulls
• Hawks
• Herons
• Hummingbirds
• Ospreys
• Owls
• Pheasants
• Quail
• Swans
• Woodpeckers
• Wrens
| • Bass
• Bluegill
• Bullhead
• Crappie
• Perch
• Trout
• Walleye
|
Environmental Features
| Physical Features | | Plant Life | |
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.
| | • Ponderosa Pine
• Ash
• Birch
• Maple
• Oak
• Poplar
• Rose
• Seaweed
• Thistle
|
|
Park photo gallery
