Reserve your campsite early, wait for summer with growing anticipation, then join the ranks of visitors who make Lake Chelan a family tradition.

This social camping park pulses with life in the summer. Generations of families return to the blue lake every year; they even try to book the same campsite they've used since the 1960s and '70s. But, while they'll jockey online for their favorite spot, veteran Chelan-goers happily share this gem with first-timers, and many lifelong friendships begin there.

Lake Chelan State Park has a long, sandy beach, shaded picnic tables and a calm lagoon. The 50.5-mile lake, with a depth of 1,486 feet, draws boaters, sailors, anglers, water skiers, windsurfers and seasonal residents. The area features some of the finest hiking trails in Washington, and adventurous hikers make the park their base from which to explore the North Cascades. For visitors hoping to chill out in their camp chairs, float the lagoon in a raft and soak up the homey atmosphere with family and friends, this place cannot be beat.

Lake Chelan State Park

Boaters and campers, come on down!

Twenty-Five Mile Creek State Park offers one of the top boat launch and moorage sites on spectacular Lake Chelan.

This small state park has a modern marina located nearly halfway along the 50.5-mile lake. Use the park as your launch site to get on the water and set out for distant shores.

Discover Lake Chelan's deep blue waters and its small shorefront communities before dropping anchor in a secluded turquoise cove or returning to the park, where a little store with a deck offers amenities and colorful sunsets.

Planning a getaway on terra firma? Bring your RV or pitch your tent in one of the creek-side campsites that dot the forested park. The area is home to spectacular summer hiking and mountain biking, and the park makes an excellent base camp for such day hikes as Pot Peak, Stormy Mountain and Devil's Backbone in the North Cascades.

State Parks Tagged With: Chelan