[4] The two reservoirs, Lookout Point and Dexter, were created in the early 1950s, when the United States Army Corps of Engineers finished building the dams that contain them.

Dexter exists partly as a re-regulating basin that controls water surges from Lookout Point Lake.

Strong winds, big waves, and annual fluctuations in the lake level also make fishing more difficult.

[6] Several picnicking and boat launches run by the county, the state, or the Willamette National Forest are located around the lake.

[6] Camping spots are available at Black Canyon Campground, managed by the United States Forest Service, near the southeast end of the lake.