55 miles of glacial fjord, and a village with no road in.
Lake Chelan is a fjord-like glacial lake along Washington's eastern Cascades, 55 miles long and 1,486 feet deep at its maximum — the third-deepest lake in the United States, with wine country along its shores and a village at its far end reachable only by boat.
Lake Chelan winds 55 miles through a glacier-carved valley along the eastern edge of the Cascade Range, scoured by the Chelan Glacier and the Okanagan Lobe of the Cordilleran ice sheet during the last glacial maximum — 1,486 feet at its deepest, the third-deepest lake in the country, with its bottom reaching 436 feet below sea level. Downtown Chelan, at the lake's south end, anchors Sunset Marina and Lakeview Drive-In, a landmark since 1957, alongside The Vogue Coffee Bar. More than 30 wineries spread along both shores, including Tsillan Cellars' Tuscan-inspired tasting room. Fifty-five miles up-lake sits Stehekin, a village with no road connecting it to the rest of Washington — reachable only by the Lady of the Lake ferry, floatplane, or hiking trail. Chelan itself covers the grocery run and the hospital.
Color-coded by category. Toggle layers, search by name or town, tap a pin for the editorial.
Same restaurants, wineries, parks — re-sorted around what you're actually trying to do.
The questions travelers actually ask before they arrive. Direct answers, the way a friend would phrase them.
9+ answers →