Stehekin, WA

Stehekin, WA, located in Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, is not the easiest place to get to.

The fastest route there is by boat or plane. It’s also linked by long hiking trails, including the PCT, if you want to take your time.

The Lady of the Lake makes the trip year round from Chelan, WA. In the summer, there is also the Lady Express option for a slightly faster trip June-September. Also in the summer, there is an option to make it a day trip, by taking the Lady Express in the morning and the Lady II on the way back with a 3 hour stop in Stehekin. However, I highly recommend spending a night or 2 (or 3). It’s worth it to take it a bit slower.

We arrived by the Lady Express on 4th of July weekend. The boat docks right at the North Cascades Lodge. It was a busy day, and everyone was there to meet the us.

We stayed at North Cascade Lodge, so it was very easy to walk to our room.

Stehekin is a pretty small place, and in the afternoon, we explored a bit.

There’s a small craft shop.

And the National Park Visitor’s Center has a few things to look at.

And after that, it’s all about the lake. There are boat rentals, bike rentals, and a hiking trail that goes along the shore of the lake.

The only dining option directly in Stehekin, if you don’t have access to a kitchen, or aren’t camping, is at the Lodge Restaurant, which is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The catch is that dinner requires reservations. The food is so-so, the burger was good, the caesar salad was acceptable, but we found some of the other entrees (meatloaf, ribs) to be edible, but not exceptional. Other options, which are a bit further away, are The Stehekin Pastry Company for breakfast and lunch or the Stehekin Valley Ranch (reservation only).