Lake Chelan: Overview
Park overview:
Lake Chelan State Park is a 127-acre camping park on the forested south shore of Lake Chelan. The park has 6,000 feet of shoreline, lakeside views and expansive lawns for strolling and playing. The park gets an annual average rainfall of 11 inches. Summer tends to be hot and dry. Annual average snowfall is 42 inches.Want to support Washington State Parks? Get involved by joining a friends' group. For more information, visit the Friends' Group web page.
Park hours/updates:
Summer: 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Winter: Closed Nov. 1, reopens March 1.
Camping:
Check-in time, 2:30 p.m.
Check-out time, 1 p.m.
Quiet hours: 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.
Current alerts:
Agency information:
Don't move firewood: Please protect the Pacific Northwest from invasive species by obtaining or purchasing your firewood at or near your camping destination (within 50 miles). Firewood can carry insects and diseases that threaten the health of our western forests. You can make a difference by buying and burning your firewood locally. For more information, visit online at www.dontmovefirewood.org or the Washington Invasive Species Council website.
The Discover Pass now can be used on either of two vehicles!Annual pass: $30
One-day pass: $10
(Transaction and dealer fees may apply)
A Discover Pass is required for motor-vehicle access to state parks and recreation lands managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
Exemptions: Your purchase of the Discover Pass supports recreation on state lands. However, the Discover Pass is not required if you are camping or renting overnight accommodations, for the duration of your stay at that state park. For additional exemptions and more information, please visit the Discover Pass website.
Campsite Information:
The park has 109 tent spaces, 35 utility spaces, one dump station, five restrooms and five showers.The 35 full utility hookups are left from an older park and are not designed for the modern RV. The sites have been upgraded, but motorhomes and trailers longer than 30 feet will not be able to enter or use the facilities at this park.
Chelan is extremely popular. Early reservations are a must. To make a reservation, visit online or call (888) CAMPOUT or (888) 226-7688.
2013 camping fees:
Please note that the following general fee information is not customized for each individual park, so not all fees will apply to all parks (for example, primitive campsite and dump station fees listed apply only to parks that have primitive campsites and dump stations).May 15 – Sept. 15 (peak season)
Primitive campsite and water trail camping: $12
Standard campsite: $23 non-premium site, $26 premium site
Partial-utility campsite*: $30 non-premium site, $35 premium site
Full-utility campsite*: $32 non-premium site, $37 premium site
*Please note: Camping fees during the 2013 peak season are $28 for partial-utility sites and $29 for full-utility sites at Beacon Rock, Brooks Memorial, Columbia Hills, Conconully, Lewis & Clark and Schafer state parks. These parks are first come, first served.
Jan. 1 – May 14 and Sept. 16 – Dec. 31 (off-peak season)
Primitive campsite and water trail camping: $12
Standard campsite: $22 for non-premium and premium sites
Partial-utility campsite: $28 for non-premium and premium sites
Full-utility campsite: $29 for non-premium and premium sites
Maximum eight people per campsite.
Second vehicle: $10 per night is charged for a second vehicle unless it is towed by a recreational vehicle. Extra vehicles must be parked in designated campsite or extra vehicle parking spaces.
Dump stations (if available): Year-round dump station fees are $5 per use. If you are camping, this fee is included in your campsite fee.
More about park hours
Check-in time is 2:30 p.m., and check-out time is 1 p.m.
Quiet hours are from 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.
Engine-driven electric generators may be operated only between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Length of stay: You may stay up to ten consecutive days in any one park from April 1 through Sept. 30; the stay limit is extended to 20 days between Oct. 1 and March 31.
Park Features
A coniferous forest and a lake provide respite from summer heat in this Eastern Washington park. A large, sandy beach and boating opportunities attract visitors. Daily ferry service is available to the roadless community at the head of the lake.
History
Native Americans used this site as a home and hunting area for many years. The name "Chelan" is a Salish Indian word meaning both "lake" and "blue water."The location of a cabin owned by John Stevenson is visible in the park. One of the earliest white settlers in the area, Stevenson was a colorful trapper, blacksmith and ferry operator. He was the first postmaster on the southshore.
In 1880, Col. John Merriam established a military post on the shores of Lake Chelan. Civilian settlers began arriving in 1886, and the town was incorporated in 1902.
According to local lore, Lake Chelan was used as a lure in a real estate scandal of the 1940's. Unsuspecting buyers were sold inferior property in the mistaken belief they were buying property on the shores of Lake Chelan, or so the story goes. The real estate company, when accused, refused to acknowledge ownership. As a matter of public record, 124 acres of Lake Chelan State Park was acquired through a court settlement against a company named Babco, Inc. in 1943.
Interpretive opportunities
The park maintains a roadside monument on Hwy. 97A at Earthquake Point. This monument describes an earthquake and landslide that occurred many years ago. The force of the quake was so great that a landslide blocked the Columbia River for several days.Another monument stands one mile east of the park. At this site, in 1945, a school bus carrying the children of Southshore residents plunged into the lake after hitting rocks that had fallen onto the roadway. The bus driver and a number of children died in the accident. The monument was erected and is maintained by the families of the children.
Services/Supplies
| Available in the park | Available in the area |
| • Camping • Park store • Pay phone • Fire wood | • Auto repair • Airport • Boat rental • Camping • Diesel • Fishing/hunting • Gasoline • Gifts • Golf • Groceries • Hardware • Hospital • Overnight Accommodations • Pay phone • Postal service • Propane • Recreational equipment • White gas • Wood • Swimming |
The park has a full-service concession offering groceries, prepared food, candy and packaged snacks. A restaurant, also managed by the park store, is located outside the park entrance.
Activities
| Trails | Water Activities | Other |
| • Boating (freshwater) • 1 boat ramp (freshwater) • 495 feet of dock (freshwater) • Fishing (freshwater) • Personal Watercraft (freshwater) • Swimming (freshwater) • Water Skiing (freshwater) | • Bird Watching • 2 Horseshoe pits • Sailboarding | |
The park offers a large, grassy play field suitable for team sports. There is also a swing set. A recreational license is required for fishing and shellfish harvesting at Washington state parks. For regulations, fishing season information or to purchase a recreational license, visit the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife website. | ||
Events
The 2013 State Parks free days are as follows:
Jan. 21 – In honor of Martin Luther King Day
March 30 – In honor of Washington State Parks' 100th birthday on March 19
April 27 and 28 – National Parks Week
June 1 – National Trails Day
June 8 and 9 – National Get Outdoors Day and Department of Fish and Wildlife Free Fishing weekend
Aug. 4 – Peak season free day
Sept. 28 – National Public Lands Day
Nov. 9 through 11 – Veteran's Day weekend
Please note: A Discover Pass is still required to access lands managed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife during State Parks free days. For more information, please visit www.discoverpass.wa.gov.
Find other events at Washington State Parks
Boating Features
In the winter the watercraft launch is open weekends and holidays only, depending on water level.The park has one single-lane launch with a nearby 28-car parking lot that fills rapidly on weekends. The park offers 495 feet of dock, some of it near the launch and some of it at the opposite end of the park near lakeside camping.
A daily watercraft launching permit for $7 and a trailer dumping permit for $5 is available at the park.
Annual permits also may be purchased at State Parks Headquarters in Olympia, at region offices, online, and at parks when staff is available.
Moorage fees are charged year round for mooring at docks, floats and buoys from 1 p.m. to 8 a.m.
Picnic and Day-use Facilities
The park provides one kitchen shelter without electricity plus 52 unsheltered picnic tables. All are available first come, first served. Be advised the parking area is small and fills early on weekends.Wildlife
| Mammals | Birds | Fish & Sea Life |
| • Bears • Bobcats • Chipmunks • Coyotes • Deer or Elk • Raccoons • Squirrels | • Chukars • Crows or Ravens • Doves or Pigeons • Ducks • Eagles • Geese • Grouse • Gulls • Hawks • Hummingbirds • Jays • Owls • Quail • Woodpeckers • Wrens | • Salmon • Trout |
Environmental Features
| Physical Features | Plant Life | ||
| The lake was carved by two competing glaciers, the Chelan Glacier and the continental ice sheet. Their back-and-forth movement created the broad lower lake and narrow upper lake. | • Douglas Fir • Ponderosa Pine • Spruce • Apple • Ash • Maple • Oak • Poplar |
