From Washington To You
Lake Chelan filling a mountain valley in Lake Chelan National Recreation Area.
Photograph by the National Park Service. Public domain.

From Washington to you

Lake Chelan

Lake Chelan · Chelan County · glacial lake

NPS calls this the third-deepest lake in the United States, a long glacial trench that ends at the roadless village of Stehekin.

Lake Chelan fills a deep glacial valley in Chelan County. NPS calls it the third-deepest lake in the United States. A park brochure lists the depth at 1,459 feet, which puts the floor 359 feet below sea level.

Nineteen named glaciers covering 4,875 acres feed the Stehekin River at the head of the lake. The upper end of the lake sits in Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. The park foundation document lists that unit at 62,902 acres.

There is no road to Stehekin. Boats, planes, and trails are the usual ways in. The sources below are the National Park Service record of Stehekin, the brochure, and the foundation document.

  • Geography & Geology

Sources (3)

Last reviewed: September 20, 2026

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Lake Chelan · From Washington To You