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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 is a 139 acre public recreation area and nature reserve located on the southwest shore of Lake Chelan, and on the east side of the Cascade Mountains. In 1942, Washington State made a large land purchase and allocated part of the land for Lake Chelan State Park. Today, the park attracts visitors from all over thanks to its range of camping, picnicking, hiking, boating, and water activities.
Unusual for Washington, this park is known for its expansive 6,000 ft sandy beach, shaded picnic tables and a large, crystal lagoon spanning 55.5 miles in area, with water as deep as 1,486 feet. Subsequently, the lagoon draws boaters, sailors, anglers, water skiers, windsurfers, and fishers as well. Without a doubt, Lake Chelan is the most famous part of this park. However, don’t let its splendor captivate you too long- because there area is full of amazing hiking as well.
In fact, the park features some of the finest hiking trails in Washington, from which adventurous hikers make the park their base to adventure in the North Cascades. If hiking isn’t your thing however, chill out in a camp chairs under a nice shaded tree, paddleboard out to the center of the lagoon, and then finish your day taking in the cozy atmosphere with at your campsite with family and friends. When it comes to fun for everyone, Lake Chelan State Park is sure to please.
While the park is open year round, it really comes alive during the summer. Visiting Lake Chelan is a long standing tradition for many local families and friends. Consequently, as soon as school retires for the summer, swaths of families return to the blue lagoon every year for their annual lake trips and family outings. And you better believe they have a preference for the “family campsite” that they’ve probably used since the 70s. You’ll want to reserve your campsite well in advance if you’re planning to join the ranks of Lake Chelan regulars.
Even then, veteran Chelan-goers happily share their beloved campground with newcomers, and a number of lifelong friendships are formed here. Get your family and friends together, and come make Lake Chelan a new tradition this Summer (or avoid the crowds and visit sooner!)
Antilon Lake camping area is a dispersed camping area great for large groups and accessible to small RV's. Antilon Lake is open to fishing, and non-motorized or electric-motor boats. Not recommended for swimming. During the summer this camping area can be hot, dry and one of the first areas to close to campfires. Spring and Fall are much more pleasant.
This boat-in campground offers a picnic shelter and a dock with a 17 boat capacity. There are seven campsites (7 tables, and fire rings) available and two toilets.
Due to Uno Peak Fire this campground is closed. Potential for catastrophic flash floods are high. This boat-in campground offers a floating dock with a six boat capacity. There are four tent sites, two fire rings, two tables, and one vault toilet. This site has year round access and is a good shelter from both up and down lake winds.
SPECIAL NOTICE: Crews from the Forest Service and the Washington Conservation Corps will pull and hand-spray Crupina, a noxious weed, in this area through the month of May. The crews will be camping at Moore Point campground May 4 – May 11 and May 18 – 25, 2017. The campground will be open to the public during these dates. However, available camping sites will be limited and the campground will be more crowded. This boat-in campground offers a picnic shelter and a fixed dock with a three boat capacity. There are four tent sites with a lot of room for additional dispersed camping, four picnic tables, four fire rings and two vault toilets available.
35 miles from Chelan, mostly on dirt roads, this campground is for those looking to get away from it all. There are four campsites with three pit toilets. From this site there are a number of OHV, hiking and stock trails available, such as Safety Harbor Creek, Summer Blossom and Summit Trail
A Discover Pass or Vehicle Access Pass is required to camp on Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW) Lands.
Campgrounds in Lake Chelan National Recreation Area are walk-in sites located in the Stehekin Valley at the head of Lake Chelan. Purple Point Campground is an approximatly eight minute walk from the boat dock at Stehekin Landing along a paved road. Most sites are located very near the road. Stehekin is a remote community with limited facilities and is only accessible by foot, boat, or plane.
Visitors can access several trails from near the campground, such the Imus Trail, the Purple Creek Trail, and the Lakeshore Trail. Other trails trails further up the valley can be reached by via foot, bike, or shuttle bus. Many of the trails from Stehekin provide the opportunity for longer wilderness backpacks. A backcountry permit is required for overnight stays in the backcountry. Visitors can boat, fish, and swim (although the water is a chilly 45 degrees) in Lake Chelan. Bears do inhabit the area, so care should be taken when hiking, picnicking, or camping.
For facility specific information, please call (360) 854-7200.
Stehekin is a gateway into the east side of the North Cascades National Park Service Complex. Many short to multi-day backpacking trips begin in the Stehekin area. Other attractions in the area are the historic Buckner Orchard, where visitors can pick apples in the fall, and Rainbow Falls, a 312-foot waterfall near the Stehekin Valley Road.
$20 / night
This boat-in campground offers a dock with a three boat capacity. There is one shelter, four tent sites, four tables, four fire rings, and two toilets. This site is accessible year-round. Good protection from down lake winds but no protection from up-lake winds. Located close to the old Lucerne Ranger Station.
This boat-in campground offers a floating dock with an eight boat capacity. There are five tent sites available, five picnic tables, five fire rings, and two toilets. Deer Point campground provides protection from down-lake winds but no protection from up-lake winds. Accessible year-round.
Guide
I made an epic cross country trip. I stayed here on my first night out as I left the West Coast, and on my last night before I got home on my way back from the East. This campground is extremely quiet in October. All the facilities were shut down at that point, so in October, it's a perfect place for someone who doesn't need water and bathrooms. I've heard, however that the camp host does a really good job when the facilities are being maintained. It's far enough off the highway, that it's very quiet. There are hiking trails nearby. The sights are large with lots of trees. My second night there was one of the best camping nights ever. It was just before Halloween, and it snowed that night. What could be more special?
Guide
I'm doing a cross-country trip, and this was the first campsite I stayed at. I just saw a sign for it on the side of highway 20. I pulled off about a mile from the highway, and there it was. There was nobody there in October when I was there.
TravelerThis is a great little campground! There are 2 areas split by the highway. We stayed on the north side close to the creek. It was fairly quiet, minimal road noise. Clean pit toilets, water available, and $15/night was a great option. Close to several hiking and biking areas and Mazama general store. Great weather at the end of September other than a night with some high winds. We'll definitely be back!
Scout
תלאביב,העירשלאעוצרת,מציעההכולמהכול.ביןאםזהחיילילהמסחרריםאואווירהתוססת,תמידאפשרלמצואמשהוחדשומפתיע.אבלבואונדבררגעעלהחשפניות–נושאשמעלהחיוכיםאצלחלקמאיתנו,ומעוררויכוחאצלאחרים.ביןכלהמסעדותהטרנדיותוהבריםשמלאיםעדאפסמקום,ישעודעולםשהואפחותמדובר,אךלאפחותחשוב–החשפניות.למהפחותמדובר?אוליבגללשבמבטראשון,זהנראהפשוט–ריקוד,מוזיקה,כסף.אבלמישצוללעמוקיותרמביןשמדוברבתעשייההרבהיותרמורכבת.ישפהנשיםשעובדותקשהומביאותהופעהשדורשתכישרון,ביטחוןעצמיויכולתלהתמודדעםקהללאפשוטבכלל.מועדוניהחשפנותבעירהלבנההםחלקבלתינפרדמהנוף,גםאםלאכולםמרוציםמהנוכחותשלהם.כמוכלמקצוע,גםכאןישצדדיםשוניםשלהמטבע.עבורחלקמהנשים,זודרךלהרוויחהרבהכסףבפרקזמןקצר.עבוראחרות,זובמהלביטויאישיוכוחנשי.אבלתמידישאתאלושיעלואתהשאלההמוסרית–האםזהנכון?האםזהמנצלאומעצים?כשמדבריםעלהחשפניותבתלאביב,זהבעצםמשקףדיוןרחביותרעלחירותאישיתמולנורמותחברתיות.מצדאחד,כלאחתואחדזכאיםלבחוראיךלנהלאתהחייםשלהם.מצדשני,ישאתהחברהשמציבהגבולותומסגרתלמהמקובלומהלא.אבלכמושכולנויודעים–תלאביבאוהבתלפרוץאתהגבולותהאלו,ותמידישמקוםלדיוןמחודש.בקיצור,אםישמשהושאפשרללמודמתלאביבוהחשפניותשלה,זהשהחייםמלאיםניגודים.כלאחדואחתבוחריםאתהדרךשלהם,ואיןכאןתשובהחד-משמעית.
ScoutOne sign says open another says closed.
Guide
We stayed here for 3 nights in mid September. Warm enough to swim, some sun, and a few showers. Park is mostly full, but most of the the time is quiet. Bathrooms and facilities extremely clean and well maintained. A little boat noise at times, but not too bad. We had a site right on the lake with a small beach. No hookups in our site, but many have partial or full hookups.
Traveler
Great campsite with an awesome view. Sandy dirt camping site near the USGS sensor station. No fires today due to high fire danger, but there was a pit in the camp. Tent right on the ridge. Dirt road was 12 miles up the mountain. Lots of switchbacks, but passible in a sedan. Takes 45 mins to get up. Take shady pass road to the top.
Guide
I went here a few years back during that intense heat wave. Despite being 107 in the spare shade here, the creek saved us. Definitely worth a visit and a trip back. Huge flat areas for a large number of campers, maybe up to 40 tents?
Legend
Nice park beside very slow river adjacent to busy road. No dogs on grass. Garbage. Picnic tables. Shaded. Stay 72 hours. Warm shower. Flush toilet. $10/night/vehicle or tent
Guide
We got a reservation for the Labor Day weekend. Not a weekend we normally get out a camp, but cabin fever motivated a trip. Our site was moved from the original reservation which didn't work in our favor, given the proximity to the RV dump and bathrooms. Overall, the park is ok, but clearly a campground for boaters. Bright-side, we kayaked to a nearby beach which was wonderful and easily accessible.
Scout
Camping is great for those who like to experience the atmosphere of the mountains and forests or resorts that also have camping. As the article above shows, camping is very fun if we have a happy spirit. So let's see the feedback experiences of customers when coming to the camping places on this website: https://suikagameonline.io
Guide
This place was so fun we plan to go back again in September! Even though the sites were close together, we still felt like we had a lot of privacy. There were lots of paths to take our kids for walks or bike rides. And the swimming area at the lake was really nice. They even had a snack shack! The only thing that was missing was a better playground. There was a slide, and that was about it.
Guide
Situated between the road and Toats Coulee Creek. Nice shaded campground with the creek bordering some of the sites. The creek is loud so nearly covers the road noise. Low traffic a little industrial.
Scout
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ScoutJ
Scout
I really liked the campground. Camp host was nice. It was a bit too dusty for my liking and the river was too cold to hangout in. If you don’t have certain campgrounds to access the water you’re having to go between bushes and can really do water play. Overall it was a good experience.
Traveler
Gorgeous spot under the pines, the site has everything we would need including water, toilets and large campsites. Campground is almost empty, only 3 of ~50 spots are filled
Guide
Don't have much of a review, we found a spot here last second after signing up to run the Sun Mountain 25k last minute. Barely spent any time at the campground. I know the location was good for being able to just walk into town. The camp spots were just shared space in a grassy area. Nothing spectacular.
GuidePersonally I really enjoyed this park and camping. The park itself is really well maintained, and in a beautiful location. The lake and surrounding hills were beautiful. Even with the few private homes nearby, it didn't really take away from the scenery in my opinion.
I camped in the upper loop in a site that backed to the hill side. The layout of the sites are very unique, no two sites (in the upper loop at least) are alike. My spot had a lower parking area with room for two cars. The you step up to the "living room" where the picnic table and fire pit were, then off of that area was a isolated tent pad area.
The next spot over on one side was up hill from me, so didn't really see them (but could hear them). The spot on the other side was closer and lacked a little bit of privacy, but as far as state parks go, it was still fairly spread out. I was also there for a Saturday and Sunday night, so Sunday the park completely emptied out and I think there were only 2 or 3 others in the entire upper loop, and not near me at all, which was nice.
I'm sure there are times when the lake gets overrun with motor boats and jet skis, but the weekend I was there (6/8 & 6/9) wasn't to bad at all. Paddle boards and kayaks outnumbers the boats with motors, and even those weren't racing around the lake, they were all fishing.
I mostly camp in dispersed camping areas, but this is a state park I would put on my short willing to return to list.
Guide
The negative review is strictly for the camping, the park itself overall is nice. But the majority of the camping is surrounding a large open grass area, with all the spots very close to each other. Sitting next to the fire pit in my spot, the neighbors vehicle next to me was less than 25 feet away. Just no privacy whatsoever.
To be fair, I expected that, I didn't come here for a see no people experience. Was just part of a personal mission to visit every state park in WA. But I want to share the experience for others who may be considering camping here, so they are prepared.
The park itself is nice, right on a large lake (a dammed portion of the Columbia River) with opportunities to swim, fish, boat, paddle board, etc. And I recommend taking a hike or bike ride along the nicely paved path down to see the dam (just be on the look out for rattlesnakes).
Traveler
Outside the picturesque town of Leavenworth, lies the most stunning body of water in the Pacific Northwest. This was our first camping trip and we could not have picked a better time or place. We visited in September when summer was slowly becoming fall. The weather was cool but not unmanageable and the camp ground was near empty. The only sounds that could be heard were the wrestling of leaves, the gentle lapping of waves, and the nightly screaming of elk in the distance.
At the time of our visit, there was a burn ban but we were allowed to use a propane fire pit.
We plan on going back when it’s a bet warmer so we can take our kayaks.
Our dog loved it!
Guide
We took the opportunity to secure one of the “private” lots. Site S9 comes with a private fenced area, with fire pit, hot tub, seating and fully ready propane Weber. Staff is immediate and attentive. Free WiFi and only 1 hour from the National Park.
Scout
This is for the Rock Creek Campground along the Chiwawa River beyond Lake Wenatchee. The previous reviews and pictures are for the Rock Creek Campground along the Icicle River closer to Leavenworth.
I visited this campground in the fall (2023) on a scouting trip for next years camping (Spring 2024). The campground was already closed for the season. Upon visiting I found the campground as the title describes and was desirable enough to add to my list of options.
LegendGeneral: A variety of different campsites in two sections ranging from economy to basic to popular, with and without hookups, and priced according to peak or non-peak season. There are also three cabins and two group camp areas.
Site Quality: We are happy we were able to book a basic tent site with our campervan (there were more than a few others with RVs in these sites). Parking was on grass and not completely level, but we made it work. Each site had a picnic table and fire ring (although there was a fire ban in effect when we were there). The sites with utilities had paved camper pads.
Bath/Shower house: Clean with soap and air dryers. The showers are free but you are asked to not use more than three button pushes. My shower in the afternoon was completely COLD and I am not sure if it was the time of day, the particular shower, or user error. My husband’s shower got hot midway through.
Activities/Amenities: All things water-based including jet skis, water skiing, kayaking, SUP, and fishing. There is also a boat wash. There are also numerous trails used for hiking, running, and mountain biking. Other activities include volleyball and horseshoes.
Despite my cold shower and the fact that state parks are becoming increasingly pricy (with reservation and out-of-state fees, we paid $ 77 for two nights for a tent site), we enjoyed our stay here.
ScoutI walked into this campground to see what was there, many blowdowns in the road that need logged out, site(s) are overgrown. Not sure how many tent spots there are or were supposed to be here but it is small and a little tight. It would be a nice area if cleaned up. The road into it looks fine for driving but like mentioned many blowdowns over it. Curious why it's called Poison Springs? I found it odd that the outhouse is uphill from the spring and camping area. The outhouse actually looks pretty good shape, siding in good condition, roof is fine, it doesn't stink (probably from not being used) the door is still attached. The springs and stream look fine but there is that outhouse location...
GuideWe had a site next to the river. The grass was well maintained and the entire part was inviting looking. Our site had a small pebbled beach area. It was enjoyable to sit by the river and watch the sunset.
Legend
Jake from the Dyrt here! The Swiftwater Farm is a small farm with a nice area for camping and chilling in a hammock. Check them out and leave a review about your stay on the Dyrt!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Carlton, WA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Carlton, WA is Lake Chelan State Park Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 24 reviews.
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