Potholes State Park
RV Guide

With all of the motorized activity on the lake during the summer, you'll probably want to bring the kayaks in the fall, after the water-skiers are back in class. Fall is still very warm and pleasant during the day, but temperatures can fall steeply at dusk. You'll have a peaceful paddle through jumping fish and a huge variety of birds looking for dinner. It's extra fun to head to one of the islands on the north end of the lake with a packed meal.

There is a good chance that you'll have a whole island to yourself because there are hundreds of them. Do watch out for boaters when crossing the deeper parts of the lake, there's a lot of alcohol consumption on the boats, so play it safe. Strong winds can come up in the afternoon and persist for hours. Don't venture too far away from camp unless you know you can muscle back against the breeze.

The fishing opportunities alone are worth the trip to Potholes Reservoir. The same bumpy landscape you see around the shoreline extends throughout the lake, providing sensational habitat for all kinds of freshwater fish. The average lake depth of ten to twenty feet also means that everyone will catch something, whether they are on a lawn chair at the shore or trolling around in a skiff. The lake offers anglers their fill of yellow perch, crappie, largemouth bass, rainbow trout, and walleye.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife also stocks the lake with 50,000 trout each year in the spring. Fishing Pothole Reservoir in the winter months, typically from November through April, gives anglers the chance to catch rainbow trout that can reach over 20 inches. Be sure to check with the state's Department of Fish and Wildlife for licensing and closure information.

Birding at Potholes State Park is an experience not to be missed. There isn't a lot of water in this part of the country, and to migrating birds that means a bit of a traffic jam as they all crowd into the few lakes and rivers of Eastern Washington. To bird watchers, it means excellent opportunities to observe a field guide’s worth of birds.

As early as February, sandhill cranes, great blue herons, and all sorts of waterfowl begin visiting the lake. In the spring, you may be able to catch the courting display of western and Clark's grebes. Potholes State Park has ample numbers of thrashers, larks, sparrows, and owls throughout the season. When summer heat exposes the mud flats, sandpipers, stilts, plovers, and curlews are busy looking for food. The unique topography of the Potholes Reservoir, with hundreds of small islands, creates ideal conditions for viewing many kinds of birds.

Geocaching is an activity that was made possible by the advent of GPS technology and made more popular by the rise of cellular phones. Participants who take part in this exciting hobby search for caches, which are usually small containers left by other participants. The caches always have a logbook where you can record your find, and they often contain small trinkets that finders can take with them as long, as they replace the trinkets with similarly valued items.

RVers sometimes enjoy finding trackable tokens as well, helping them move further along in their journey. There are several traditional caches to be found at Pothole State Park, as well as a few earthcaches. Earthcaches are found the same way that traditional geocaches are found, but instead of a container and logbook, participants are lead to a “virtual” cache that allows them to explore and learn about science and geology, rather than a physical cache.

The Moses Lake Mudflats and Sand Dunes provides access to the pothole landscape on the north edge of the reservoir. There are about 3,000 acres of trails carving through the landscape. For the adventurous, the trails go right down to the lake where there are hundreds of small islands separated by shallow sections of water. There is so much to explore that many people camp on this end of the lake and burn rubber all week.

There are several places in Moses Lake that rent quads and dune buggies, but you'll be surprised how many people can't resist taking the family car into the sand dunes. Have fun, but follow safety rules so you don't get hurt. Check with the state and county to make sure you are clear about ORV tags and restrictions. Alcohol is restricted in certain areas of this state park.

Eastern Washington knows how to have a good time. The residents here live for summer fun on the water, and you can be assured that hot weekends and holidays will bring a line of trailers to the boat ramp and the buzz of large outboard motors from ski boats on the water. If you want peaceful fishing and kayaking definitely avoid Potholes Reservoir when it's hot enough for swimming.

If you want to live it up with the locals and rent jet skis, pontoon boats, and even fully equipped ski boats from one of the local marinas in Othello or Moses Lake, this is the place for you. The rates at the local marinas tend to be significantly lower than more touristy spots like nearby Lake Chelan and they frequently have some of the best gas prices in the state. WA has unique boater licensing and safety laws so do your research and make sure you're prepared ahead of time.

While it may not be the darkest place in the area, it is a lovely place to sleep outside and watch the night sky. If you are used to the light pollution of the city, the stars here will be jaw-dropping. The combination of low-humidity, isolation, and warm summer nights make this the perfect place to roll the sleeping bags out on the grass and count the shooting stars and satellites with your family. On a moonless night the stars in the sky are distractingly vivid, and it's not uncommon to see cars pulled to the side of the highway just to stop and take it in. The state park sprays for mosquitoes periodically, but come prepared with repellent coils or spray just in case.

You will want to ensure that your camera is packed in your campervan when you take a trip to Potholes State Park. The landscape in the area ranges from dry sand dunes to verdant cattail wetlands. Many different species of animals make their homes in this oasis. Along with a glorious variety of avian species, you are likely to find a number of interesting insects, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals.

Mule and white-tailed deer are both seen in this area, although mule deer are more common than their white-tailed cousins. Other commonly seen animals include rabbits, sagebrush lizards, tiger salamanders, squirrels, and raccoons. It is also a perfect environment for beavers to build their dens, and it is estimated that this area has over 100 beaver colonies to photograph scattered throughout the park.