I wqs recently up in Lake Chelan in Washington. I am curious if it is practical to paddle a Kayak from the 25 Mile State park on the west side of the lake, north to Stehekin (and back)?
I would love to do this as a slow 2-4 day trip, but I am not sure if there are any areas along the way that one could camp. (I know about lodging in Stehekin).
I have read about steep cliffs, etc. I have never been up that way looking at the terrain.
If you have any information that may help me, it would be appreciated…
Thanks in advance
Rocky
Contact the state park there
– Last Updated: May-29-13 12:20 AM EST –
They or the marina staff might be able to help you. I wrote a description of paddling at Lake Chelan as a day trip (it's on Pnet.'s Places To Paddle section). My impression from the stretch that we paddled is that there aren't a lot of bail-out or camping areas, but they do have some designated boat-in campsites. The park had an info board with a brief description of each one. Maybe their website has a map with the same info.
One way to get an idea of the shoreline terrain is simply to read topo maps of the area you're interested in. This won't tell you all you need to know, but it's a start.
L Chelan
This lake is notorious for strong afternoon winds and few places to get off it. The water is cold with few other boats around for rescue. Do not take any inexperienced people on a trip like the one you are talking about. Paddlers need good bracing, spray skirts, etc and experience with large waves.
My uncle tells the tale about his trip up there in a canoe many years ago. He feared for his life and had nowhere to get off the water.