Lake Chelan

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Lake in Chelan County, Washington, United States

title: "Lake Chelan" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["lakes-of-chelan-county,-washington", "lakes-of-washington-(state)", "north-cascades-of-washington-(state)", "tourist-attractions-in-chelan-county,-washington"] description: "Lake in Chelan County, Washington, United States" topic_path: "general/lakes-of-chelan-county-washington" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Chelan" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Lake in Chelan County, Washington, United States ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox body of water"]

FieldValue
nameLake Chelan
imageStehekin Chelan.JPG
captionLake Chelan with Stehekin on the lower left
locationChelan County, Washington,
United States
coords
typeGlacially overdeepened lake
inflowStehekin River, Railroad Creek
outflowChelan River
catchment924 sqmi
basin_countriesUnited States
length50.5 mi
area52.1 sqmi
depth474 ft
max-depth1486 ft
volume4.66 cumi
residence_time10.6 years
pushpin_mapWashington#USA
shore109.2 mi
elevation1100 ft
citiessee Cities
reference
::

| name = Lake Chelan | image = Stehekin Chelan.JPG | caption = Lake Chelan with Stehekin on the lower left | image_bathymetry = | caption_bathymetry = | location = Chelan County, Washington, United States | coords = | type = Glacially overdeepened lake | inflow = Stehekin River, Railroad Creek | outflow = Chelan River | catchment = 924 sqmi | basin_countries = United States | length = 50.5 mi | width = | area = 52.1 sqmi | depth = 474 ft | max-depth = 1486 ft | volume = 4.66 cumi | residence_time = 10.6 years | pushpin_map = Washington#USA | shore = 109.2 mi | elevation = 1100 ft | islands = | cities = see Cities | reference = }} Lake Chelan ( ) is a narrow, 50.5 mi long lake in Chelan County, north-central Washington state, U.S. Upon the completion of Lake Chelan Dam in 1927, the elevation of the lake was increased by 21 ft to its present maximum-capacity elevation of 1100 ft.

With a maximum depth of 1,486 ft, Lake Chelan is the third deepest lake in the United States behind Crater Lake, the deepest, and Lake Tahoe, the second deepest. Because of overdeepening, the sides of this lake drop steeply to its bottom. The deepest part of Lake Chelan lies as much as 436 ft below sea level. In places, the bedrock floor of the valley occupied by Lake Chelan, which is buried by Pleistocene glacial and lacustrine sediments, lies at least 1529 ft below sea level. Two communities lie on the southern end of the lake, and a third sits at the far north end, providing a gateway to North Cascades National Park.

Hydrology

On an annual basis, an average of 2200 cuft/s flow into the lake. Approximately 75% of the water that flows into the lake comes from two tributaries. The Stehekin River alone contributes 65% of all water to Lake Chelan, averaging 1401 cuft/s annually. The other major tributary, Railroad Creek, averages 202 cuft/s annually. The remaining water is added via a number of smaller tributaries as well as direct rain and snowfall.

With a maximum depth of 1486 ft, The total watershed of the lake is 924 sqmi More than 90% of the watershed is forested land. The remainder of the basin is composed of the lake itself (5.6%) and agriculture (3.5%).

Geology

The fjord-like topography of the Lake Chelan valley results from repeated glacial erosion and deposition (maybe nine or ten times) during the Pleistocene Period. The last episode of glacial erosion and deposition in the basin occurred during the Last Glacial Maximum about 21,000 years ago. At that time, in the upper Similkameen River valley of British Columbia, the Skagit Lobe split from the Okanogan Lobe of the Cordilleran ice sheet and advanced south into the Skagit River drainage. Skagit ice passed through Fisher and Rainy passes, and down Bridge Creek into the Lake Chelan valley. The glacial lobe flowed down the Lake Chelan valley until meeting glacial ice of the main Okanogan Lobe advancing up the valley from the Columbia River drainage near Manson. The deposits of the northwestward advancing Okanagan lobe are characterized by large, basalt glacial erratics. As the Skagit Lobe during the Last Glacial Maximum and glacial lobes during older glaciations flowed to the southeast down the Lake Chelan valley, they excavated the deep glacial trough that is now occupied by Lake Chelan. The depth of the Lucerne Basin and the elevation of glacial till and moraines and glacier-scoured bedrock on the walls of the overdeepened Lake Chelan valley indicates that the thickness of the Skagit Lobe was over 1 mi.

Basins

Lake Chelan is composed of two basins. The lower basin, Wapato, is shallower and approximately a fourth the total length of the lake. The upper basin, Lucerne, is much deeper and extends for the remainder of the length of the lake. The two basins are separated by a sill rising to within 122 ft of the surface, at a point known as the narrows, at which the lake is only 0.35 mi wide.

The lower basin, Wapato, reaches a maximum depth of only 400 ft. About 600 ft of glacial sediment and rockslide deposits rest on top of the bedrock. This section of the lake is 12 mi long, and has an average depth of 190 ft. The upper Lucerne basin is 38 mi long with an average depth of 1148 ft and thus by far the larger of the two basins. It is in this part of the lake that the maximum depth of 1486 ft is found. Lucerne basin contains 92% of the water in Lake Chelan and 74% of the surface area, leaving Wapato with only 8% of the total volume of water and 26% of the surface area. The upper basin of Lake Chelan is surrounded by more mountainous terrain, resulting in few beaches along the shoreline. Approximately 50 mi of the shoreline of this basin are in National Forest lands, and 12 mi in National Park lands.

Natural history

Climate

The climate of Lake Chelan's watershed is varied. From the southern end of the lake in the rain shadow of the Cascade Range, to the northern tip of the lake located in the eastern Cascades, the climate of Lake Chelan's watershed is as diverse as the lake is long. The south end's weather is notably dry, with Chelan averaging only 11.4 in of rain per year, along with 21.8 in of snow. Stehekin receives an average of 35.5 in of rain per year, and 122.5 in of snow. Other than precipitation trends, the climates are remarkably similar. Both locations average around 60 °F for a high, and 40 °F for a low throughout the course of the year. |location = Chelan, Washington (south end of lake) (1991–2020 normals, extremes since 1891) |collapsed = Y |single line = Y |Jan record high F = 62 |Feb record high F = 63 |Mar record high F = 74 |Apr record high F = 88 |May record high F = 98 |Jun record high F = 111 |Jul record high F = 109 |Aug record high F = 106 |Sep record high F = 97 |Oct record high F = 88 |Nov record high F = 72 |Dec record high F = 65 |year record high F = 111 |Jan avg record high F = 48 |Feb avg record high F = 52 |Mar avg record high F = 63 |Apr avg record high F = 75 |May avg record high F = 86 |Jun avg record high F = 90 |Jul avg record high F = 99 |Aug avg record high F = 99 |Sep avg record high F = 89 |Oct avg record high F = 75 |Nov avg record high F = 58 |Dec avg record high F = 48 |year avg record high F = 100 |Jan high F = 34.3 |Feb high F = 41.7 |Mar high F = 51.9 |Apr high F = 62.1 |May high F = 71.9 |Jun high F = 77.9 |Jul high F = 86.6 |Aug high F = 87.0 |Sep high F = 77.2 |Oct high F = 62.2 |Nov high F = 45.7 |Dec high F = 34.9 |year high F = 61.1 |Jan mean F = 28.0 |Feb mean F = 33.0 |Mar mean F = 41.1 |Apr mean F = 49.8 |May mean F = 59.0 |Jun mean F = 65.4 |Jul mean F = 72.8 |Aug mean F = 72.5 |Sep mean F = 63.2 |Oct mean F = 50.5 |Nov mean F = 37.6 |Dec mean F = 28.7 |year mean F = 50.1 |Jan low F = 21.6 |Feb low F = 24.3 |Mar low F = 30.3 |Apr low F = 37.5 |May low F = 46.2 |Jun low F = 53.0 |Jul low F = 59.1 |Aug low F = 58.1 |Sep low F = 49.2 |Oct low F = 38.8 |Nov low F = 29.5 |Dec low F = 22.6 |year low F = 39.2 |Jan avg record low F = 11 |Feb avg record low F = 16 |Mar avg record low F = 24 |Apr avg record low F = 32 |May avg record low F = 39 |Jun avg record low F = 47 |Jul avg record low F = 52 |Aug avg record low F = 52 |Sep avg record low F = 42 |Oct avg record low F = 30 |Nov avg record low F = 21 |Dec avg record low F = 14 |year avg record low F = 7 |Jan record low F = -18 |Feb record low F = -15 |Mar record low F = 4 |Apr record low F = 21 |May record low F = 28 |Jun record low F = 33 |Jul record low F = 35 |Aug record low F = 42 |Sep record low F = 26 |Oct record low F = 3 |Nov record low F = -3 |Dec record low F = -18 |year record low F = -18 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation inch = 1.52 |Feb precipitation inch = 1.22 |Mar precipitation inch = 1.09 |Apr precipitation inch = 0.75 |May precipitation inch = 1.05 |Jun precipitation inch = 0.87 |Jul precipitation inch = 0.42 |Aug precipitation inch = 0.32 |Sep precipitation inch = 0.34 |Oct precipitation inch = 1.04 |Nov precipitation inch = 1.51 |Dec precipitation inch = 1.83 |year precipitation inch = |unit precipitation days = 0.01 inch |Jan precipitation days = 10 |Feb precipitation days = 7 |Mar precipitation days = 7 |Apr precipitation days = 5 |May precipitation days = 6 |Jun precipitation days = 5 |Jul precipitation days = 3 |Aug precipitation days = 2 |Sep precipitation days = 2 |Oct precipitation days = 6 |Nov precipitation days = 9 |Dec precipitation days = 9 |year precipitation days = |Jan snow inch = 7.7 |Feb snow inch = 2.0 |Mar snow inch = 0.7 |Apr snow inch = 0.0 |May snow inch = 0.0 |Jun snow inch = 0.0 |Jul snow inch = 0.0 |Aug snow inch = 0.0 |Sep snow inch = 0.0 |Oct snow inch = 0.0 |Nov snow inch = 1.4 |Dec snow inch = 8.7 |year snow inch = |Jan snow depth inch = 3 |Feb snow depth inch = 2 |Mar snow depth inch = 1 |Apr snow depth inch = 0 |May snow depth inch = 0 |Jun snow depth inch = 0 |Jul snow depth inch = 0 |Aug snow depth inch = 0 |Sep snow depth inch = 0 |Oct snow depth inch = 0 |Nov snow depth inch = 1 |Dec snow depth inch = 2 |year snow depth inch = 4 |source 1 = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |url = http://www.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=otx |title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data |publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |accessdate = August 7, 2022}} |location = Stehekin, Washington (north end of the lake) (1991–2020 normals, extremes since 1906) |collapsed = Y |single line = Y |Jan record high F = 55 |Feb record high F = 59 |Mar record high F = 70 |Apr record high F = 85 |May record high F = 101 |Jun record high F = 103 |Jul record high F = 107 |Aug record high F = 105 |Sep record high F = 98 |Oct record high F = 88 |Nov record high F = 67 |Dec record high F = 62 |year record high F = 107 |Jan avg record high F = 42 |Feb avg record high F = 48 |Mar avg record high F = 59 |Apr avg record high F = 74 |May avg record high F = 86 |Jun avg record high F = 92 |Jul avg record high F = 99 |Aug avg record high F = 98 |Sep avg record high F = 89 |Oct avg record high F = 72 |Nov avg record high F = 52 |Dec avg record high F = 42 |year avg record high F = 100 |Jan high F = 32.3 |Feb high F = 37.8 |Mar high F = 46.5 |Apr high F = 57.5 |May high F = 68.6 |Jun high F = 74.4 |Jul high F = 84.3 |Aug high F = 83.3 |Sep high F = 72.5 |Oct high F = 55.8 |Nov high F = 40.0 |Dec high F = 32.3 |year high F = 57.1 |Jan mean F = 28.5 |Feb mean F = 31.9 |Mar mean F = 38.1 |Apr mean F = 46.6 |May mean F = 56.2 |Jun mean F = 62.2 |Jul mean F = 70.1 |Aug mean F = 69.3 |Sep mean F = 60.2 |Oct mean F = 46.8 |Nov mean F = 35.2 |Dec mean F = 29.0 |year mean F = 47.8 |Jan low F = 24.8 |Feb low F = 26.0 |Mar low F = 29.8 |Apr low F = 35.8 |May low F = 43.8 |Jun low F = 49.9 |Jul low F = 55.9 |Aug low F = 55.2 |Sep low F = 47.8 |Oct low F = 37.8 |Nov low F = 30.4 |Dec low F = 25.6 |year low F = 38.6 |Jan avg record low F = 12 |Feb avg record low F = 15 |Mar avg record low F = 22 |Apr avg record low F = 28 |May avg record low F = 34 |Jun avg record low F = 41 |Jul avg record low F = 47 |Aug avg record low F = 46 |Sep avg record low F = 38 |Oct avg record low F = 27 |Nov avg record low F = 21 |Dec avg record low F = 12 |year avg record low F = 8 |Jan record low F = -18 |Feb record low F = -16 |Mar record low F = -5 |Apr record low F = 19 |May record low F = 25 |Jun record low F = 28 |Jul record low F = 36 |Aug record low F = 30 |Sep record low F = 22 |Oct record low F = 16 |Nov record low F = 0 |Dec record low F = -11 |year record low F = -18 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation inch = 6.75 |Feb precipitation inch = 3.72 |Mar precipitation inch = 3.60 |Apr precipitation inch = 1.44 |May precipitation inch = 1.07 |Jun precipitation inch = 0.75 |Jul precipitation inch = 0.46 |Aug precipitation inch = 0.49 |Sep precipitation inch = 1.05 |Oct precipitation inch = 3.66 |Nov precipitation inch = 6.73 |Dec precipitation inch = 7.16 |year precipitation inch = |Jan snow inch = 41.4 |Feb snow inch = 18.5 |Mar snow inch = 9.1 |Apr snow inch = 0.2 |May snow inch = 0.0 |Jun snow inch = 0.0 |Jul snow inch = 0.0 |Aug snow inch = 0.0 |Sep snow inch = 0.0 |Oct snow inch = 0.2 |Nov snow inch = 9.7 |Dec snow inch = 50.6 |year snow inch = |Jan snow depth inch = 36 |Feb snow depth inch = 33 |Mar snow depth inch = 24 |Apr snow depth inch = 6 |May snow depth inch = 0 |Jun snow depth inch = 0 |Jul snow depth inch = 0 |Aug snow depth inch = 0 |Sep snow depth inch = 0 |Oct snow depth inch = 0 |Nov snow depth inch = 6 |Dec snow depth inch = 27 |year snow depth inch = 41 |unit precipitation days = 0.01 in |Jan precipitation days = 17 |Feb precipitation days = 11 |Mar precipitation days = 11 |Apr precipitation days = 8 |May precipitation days = 6 |Jun precipitation days = 6 |Jul precipitation days = 3 |Aug precipitation days = 3 |Sep precipitation days = 6 |Oct precipitation days = 11 |Nov precipitation days = 16 |Dec precipitation days = 16 |year precipitation days = |unit snow days = 0.01 in |Jan snow days = 11 |Feb snow days = 5 |Mar snow days = 3 |Apr snow days = 0 |May snow days = 0 |Jun snow days = 0 |Jul snow days = 0 |Aug snow days = 0 |Sep snow days = 0 |Oct snow days = 0 |Nov snow days = 3 |Dec snow days = 11 |year snow days = |source 1 = NOAA |url = http://www.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=otx |title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data |publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |accessdate = August 7, 2022}}

History

Etymology

The name Chelan is a Salish Indigenous word, "Tsi - Laan," meaning 'Deep Water'.

Cities

Due to the isolated nature of Lake Chelan, especially at its northern reaches, there is not a large population that resides along the shore. Chelan, which had 4,222 residents at the 2020 census, is currently the only incorporated city situated along the lake shore. The city is located at the southern terminus of the lake, adjacent to the Lake Chelan Dam and the Chelan River outflow. The census-designated place of Manson, which had 1,523 residents in 2020, is also located at the southern end of the lake. The unincorporated community of Stehekin, is located at the northern terminus of the lake, adjacent to the Stehekin River inflow. At the mouth of the Railroad Creek sits Lucerne, a small community of private cabins served by commercial boats. Lucerne is also the primary gateway to the community of Holden Village, a Lutheran retreat center located 11 mi inland from the lake. With approximately 50 long-term residents, Holden includes one of the few remaining public K-12 two-room schools in the contiguous United States.

Economy

Fishing

Fishing is a popular recreating activity on Lake Chelan. The following fish are or were native to the lake: Bull Trout, Westslope cutthroat trout, Largescale sucker, Longnose sucker, Bridgelip sucker, Northern pikeminnow, Peamouth, Redside shiner, Mountain whitefish, Pygmy whitefish.

In addition to these native species, six species have been introduced to the lake, primarily for sport fishing purposes: Yellowstone cutthroat trout, Rainbow trout, Kokanee, Brook trout, Chinook salmon, Lake trout

State records

In 2013, a 35.63 lb Lake Trout was caught, setting the state record.

Winemaking

The Lake Chelan AVA surrounds the southernmost 12 miles of Lake Chelan. A subzone of the larger Columbia Valley AVA, the Lake Chelan AVA is home to 31 tasting rooms.

Protected lands

At the north end of the lake, surrounding the town of Stehekin, is Lake Chelan National Recreation Area (NRA). Bordering the Lake Chelan NRA is the Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness. The Wenatchee National Forest surrounds much of the lake on either side. Two state parks are located on the southern edge, not far from the city of Chelan. These state parks are Twenty-Five Mile Creek State Park and Lake Chelan State Park.

In addition to the protected land located directly on the shores of Lake Chelan, Stehekin serves not only as a gateway to the Lake Chelan NRA, but also to the rest of the North Cascades National Park Complex, Stephen Mather Wilderness, and adjacent National Forest Wilderness Areas. Approximately 87% of the Lake Chelan watershed is owned by either federal, state, or local entities, with the rest in private ownership.

Gallery

|mode=packed |File:Manson_orchards_from_south_shore_Lake_Chelan.jpg|View of Manson orchards from the south shore of Lake Chelan |File:Uplake_from_the_south_shore_Lake_Chelan.jpg|View uplake from the south shore of Lake Chelan |File:LakeChelanLakeShoreTrail.jpg|View of Lake Chelan from Lakeshore trail, near Stehekin |File:DompkeFallsChelan.jpg|Domke Falls is the best known waterfall that drops into the lake |File:Chelan_pano-03_30_05-600px.jpg|Lake Chelan as seen from the southern shore off U.S. Highway 97A

References

References

  1. (January 1994). "TMDL Case Study: Lake Chelan, Washington". Environmental Protection Agency.
  2. (January 1987). "Morphometry of Lake Chelan". Washington State Department of Ecology.
  3. (1976). "Reconnaissance data on lakes in Washington -- Vol. 5, Chelan, Ferry, Kittitas, Klickitat, Okanogan, and Yakima Counties". Washington State Department of Ecology.
  4. (1967). "Lake Chelan Washington: bottom and sub-bottom topography". Limnology and Oceanography.
  5. (2016). "Moses Coulee to Chelan Field Trip, 12 June 2016". Ellensburg Chapter, Ice Age Floods Institute.
  6. (May 1985). "Chelan Watershed Initial Assessment". Washington Department of Ecology.
  7. link. "Historical Occurrences of Anadromous Salmonids in Lake Chelan, Washington". (February 2000). BioAnalysts, Inc.
  8. (June 2006). "Lake Chelan Watershed DDT and PCB Total Maximum Daily Load: Water Quality Improvement Report". Washington State Department of Ecology.
  9. (November 2011). "Lake Chelan Wapato Basin Total Phosphorus Total Maximum Daily Load". State of Washington Department of Ecology.
  10. (May 1985). "Chelan Watershed Initial Assessment". Washington Department of Ecology.
  11. (March 2013). "Water Quality Improvement Project: Lake Chelan Area: Multi-Parameter". Department of Ecology - State of Washington.
  12. (June 2010). "Draft In-Leau Fee Program Prospectus and Compensation Planning Framework for Lower Lake Chelan". The Watershed Company.
  13. (1944). "Glaciation and some human relationships at Lake Chelan". Northwest Science.
  14. (2017). "Deglaciation of the North Cascade Range, Washington and British Columbia, from the last glacial maximum to the Holocene". Cuadernos de investigación geográfica/Geographical Research Letters.
  15. "Discover Lake Chelan". National Park Service.
  16. (January 1989). "Lake Chelan Water Quality Assessment". Washington State Department of Ecology.
  17. (1985-02-20). "Lake Chelan Project Proposal". Washington State Department of Ecology.
  18. "Native American Legends". USDA Forest Service - Pacific Northwest Region.
  19. "Explore Census Data".
  20. "2020 United States Census Profile: Manson CDP, Washington". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder}}{{cbignore.
  21. Visit Stehekin. "Visit Stehekin, Washington".
  22. (2012-04-23). "Shoreline Inventory". Chelan County.
  23. "Holden School". Holden Village.
  24. (2012-01-20). "What Happened to Bull Trout in Lake Chelan? An Examination of the Historical Evidence". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
  25. link. "Historical Occurrences of Anadromous Salmonids in Lake Chelan, Washington". (February 2000). BioAnalysts, Inc.
  26. "Freshwater and Saltwater Records". Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife.
  27. "Federal Register :: Request Access".
  28. (2020-04-27). "Facts and Figures – Lake Chelan Wine Valley".
  29. (January 2009). "Lake Chelan Area State Parks Management Plan". Washington State Parks and Recreation Committee.
  30. "Stehekin". National Park Service.

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