This lake has teeth. Lake Chelan is 55 miles or so in length, and beyond the 25 mile marker has no vehicle roads or access and very little boat traffic. When the wind blows out of the North, it crushes down the lake surrounded by 8k to 9k feet of mountainous relief on either side. It is a beautiful lake, and very deep with stunningly clear water. It is not unreasonable on a calm day to have a sudden fear of heights when gazing into to the depths below as they plunge to almost 1,500 feet deep. The lake is charming when calm (as evidenced by my previous posts from Lake Chelan), but committing when not. A simple 10 or 20 mph breeze gets funneled and amplified in a surreal way, creating disproportionately large wind waves at a rapid frequency. Waves from 6 to 8’ are not uncommon at any time of the year, and at certain times they may reach 10’ or greater. If you don’t like the ride, there are few places to get off.  On the 16th of June 2012 I headed from the southern end of the lake to Stehekin at the Northern end of the lake. Stehekin is a charming mountain town located in the Northern Cascades of Washington State, and is accessible only by foot over mountainous terrain, seaplane, boat, or in my case a Hobie inflatable kayak. The plan was to meet my wife and daughter at a cabin and stay the night. The day started dead calm and warm, but I’ve read and seen enough of this lake to know better and packed a wetsuit, bivy bag and other emergency gear including a transponder beacon. The winds built gradually from 10, then 20, and upwards of 40 mph as I progressed. I found it taxing, and yet a suitable struggle to battle them for thirty plus miles in driving wind and rain. I arrived at Stehekin fatigued, but in high spirits and looking forward to a night in the cabin.   I am genuinely surprised I don’t see more posts about this grand treasure of lake, but on the other hand, buyer beware.  High-res

This lake has teeth.

Lake Chelan is 55 miles or so in length, and beyond the 25 mile marker has no vehicle roads or access and very little boat traffic. When the wind blows out of the North, it crushes down the lake surrounded by 8k to 9k feet of mountainous relief on either side. It is a beautiful lake, and very deep with stunningly clear water. It is not unreasonable on a calm day to have a sudden fear of heights when gazing into to the depths below as they plunge to almost 1,500 feet deep.

The lake is charming when calm (as evidenced by my previous posts from Lake Chelan), but committing when not. A simple 10 or 20 mph breeze gets funneled and amplified in a surreal way, creating disproportionately large wind waves at a rapid frequency. Waves from 6 to 8’ are not uncommon at any time of the year, and at certain times they may reach 10’ or greater. If you don’t like the ride, there are few places to get off. 

On the 16th of June 2012 I headed from the southern end of the lake to Stehekin at the Northern end of the lake. Stehekin is a charming mountain town located in the Northern Cascades of Washington State, and is accessible only by foot over mountainous terrain, seaplane, boat, or in my case a Hobie inflatable kayak.

Stehekin from above.

The plan was to meet my wife and daughter at a cabin and stay the night. The day started dead calm and warm, but I’ve read and seen enough of this lake to know better and packed a wetsuit, bivy bag and other emergency gear including a transponder beacon. The winds built gradually from 10, then 20, and upwards of 40 mph as I progressed. I found it taxing, and yet a suitable struggle to battle them for thirty plus miles in driving wind and rain. I arrived at Stehekin fatigued, but in high spirits and looking forward to a night in the cabin.  

I am genuinely surprised I don’t see more posts about this grand treasure of lake, but on the other hand, buyer beware.