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Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, North Cascades National Park

4.1
#9 of 9 in Parks in North Cascades National Park
#National Park, #Nature / Park
Lake Chelan National Recreation Area is a U.S. National Recreation Area (NRA) located about 35mi south of the Canadian border in Chelan County, Washington. It encompasses an area of 61958acre including the northern end of Lake Chelan and the surrounding area of the Stehekin Valley and the Stehekin River. The area is managed by the U.S. National Park Service as part of the North Cascades National Park Service Complex.Lake Chelan NRA is adjacent to the North Cascades National Park South Unit. There are no roads that lead into Lake Chelan NRA. The recreation area and Stehekin, a small town located within the park with fewer than 100 permanent residents, are accessible only by floatplane or passenger ferry from the south end of Lake Chelan near the town of Chelan, Washington. The area can also be accessed by hiking trails through the Cascade Range during the summer months. During the summer, an off-road bus service operated by the NPS carries weary hikers to the town from the Pacific Crest Trail.Visitors to Lake Chelan NRA can get general information about the area at the Golden West Visitor Center located near the ferry landing. The Buckner Homestead Historic District, Purple Point-Stehekin Ranger Station House, and the one-room Stehekin School are located within the Lake Chelan NRA. They are all listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Lake Chelan National Recreation Area Reviews
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19 reviews
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TripAdvisor
  • By Margot E On January 11, 2017
    Drove through this beautiful area while doing the North Cascades Scenic loop drive. Just stunning. Beautiful properties along the lake and nearby farming areas.  more »
  • By Gnayak P On May 16, 2016
    The lake looks very beautiful in summer. Water activities are relatively cheaper compared to some other places like Lake Tahoe, Hawaii etc. Good place for folks in the Seattle region to go for a weeke...  more »
  • By Raintree_Thailand On September 26, 2015
    Wonderful scenes along the lake. Much different from the wet western side of the Cascades. Great for boating, hiking, picnics!  more »
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  • By Mark Stevens On July 6, 2017
    This is truly a wonderful and beautiful spot in the Northern Cascades National Park complex! One takes a passenger ferry up to the lodge area or any of the other stops and can enjoy mountainous beauty. I definitely recommend getting a reservation for the lodge as early as possible as a summertime definitely fills out. There's plenty to do with hiking as well as taking a bus ride to any of the points further into the recreation area or national Park. You can even rent a bike for the day or afternoon!
  • By Tracy Smith On August 16, 2017
    We spent 5 days at a cabin rental and every day was absolutely wonderful. Hiking is abundant, we caught beautiful rainbow trout from the bank every time we went, which was pretty much every evening. No lack of things to do and see.
  • By kyle corn On June 12, 2017
    Washington is full of great recreation areas and this might be my favorite. Complete with an inland fresh water fjord, Lake Chelan has access many of Washington's great wilderness climates.
  • By Gordon Collier On May 31, 2017
    Beautiful lake, wineries and tasting. Good restaurants tons of things to do.
  • By Ghazal M On October 5, 2017
    Beautiful nature and a must see place.
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Plans to Lake Chelan National Recreation Area by other users

7 days in North Cascades National Park, Friday Harbor & Mount Rainier National Park BY A USER FROM UNITED STATES October, outdoors, relaxing, romantic, beaches, wildlife, hidden gems PREFERENCES: October, outdoors, relaxing, romantic, beaches, wildlife ATTRACTION STYLE: Hidden gems PACE: Medium 37 days in United States & Vancouver BY A USER FROM ISRAEL July, outdoors, romantic, beaches, wildlife, popular & hidden gems PREFERENCES: July, outdoors, romantic, beaches, wildlife ATTRACTION STYLE: Popular & hidden gems PACE: Medium 8 days in North Cascades National Park BY A USER FROM AUSTRALIA September, outdoors, historic sites, wildlife, slow & easy, popular & hidden gems PREFERENCES: September, outdoors, historic sites, wildlife ATTRACTION STYLE: Popular & hidden gems PACE: Slow & easy 6 days in North Cascades National Park BY A USER FROM UNITED STATES May, outdoors, relaxing, beaches, wildlife, popular & hidden gems PREFERENCES: May, outdoors, relaxing, beaches, wildlife ATTRACTION STYLE: Popular & hidden gems PACE: Medium 27 days in United States BY A USER FROM UNITED STATES September, culture, outdoors, romantic, beaches, historic sites, museums, wildlife, fast-paced, hidden gems PREFERENCES: September, culture, outdoors, romantic, beaches, historic sites, museums, wildlife ATTRACTION STYLE: Hidden gems PACE: Fast-paced 14 days in Washington State BY A USER FROM UNITED STATES September, outdoors, romantic, beaches, historic sites, wildlife, fast-paced, hidden gems PREFERENCES: September, outdoors, romantic, beaches, historic sites, wildlife ATTRACTION STYLE: Hidden gems PACE: Fast-paced 3 days in North Cascades National Park BY A USER FROM UNITED STATES May, outdoors, wildlife, popular & hidden gems PREFERENCES: May, outdoors, wildlife ATTRACTION STYLE: Popular & hidden gems PACE: Medium 14 days in North Cascades National Park BY A USER FROM UNITED STATES September, outdoors, relaxing, romantic, beaches, shopping, wildlife, popular & hidden gems PREFERENCES: September, outdoors, relaxing, romantic, beaches, shopping, wildlife ATTRACTION STYLE: Popular & hidden gems PACE: Medium 22 days in Pacific Northwest BY A USER FROM UNITED STATES June, culture, outdoors, beaches, historic sites, wildlife, popular & hidden gems PREFERENCES: June, culture, outdoors, beaches, historic sites, wildlife ATTRACTION STYLE: Popular & hidden gems PACE: Medium 9 days in Mount Rainier National Park, North Cascades National Park & San Juan Islands BY A USER FROM UNITED STATES July, culture, outdoors, relaxing, beaches, historic sites, wildlife, popular & hidden gems PREFERENCES: July, culture, outdoors, relaxing, beaches, historic sites, wildlife ATTRACTION STYLE: Popular & hidden gems PACE: Medium 60 days in Washington State BY A USER FROM INDIA February, teens, culture, outdoors, relaxing, romantic, beaches, historic sites, museums, shopping, wildlife, popular & hidden gems PREFERENCES: February, teens, culture, outdoors, relaxing, romantic, beaches, historic sites, museums, shopping, wildlife ATTRACTION STYLE: Popular & hidden gems PACE: Medium 17 days in Washington State BY A USER FROM UNITED STATES July, kids, culture, outdoors, beaches, historic sites, museums, wildlife, fast-paced, popular & hidden gems PREFERENCES: July, kids, culture, outdoors, beaches, historic sites, museums, wildlife ATTRACTION STYLE: Popular & hidden gems PACE: Fast-paced
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