Lake Chelan State Park
2 reviews for Lake Chelan State Park
To be honest, this place is way too packed for my tastes.
If you want to make a reservation for a campsite, you must do it months in advance otherwise, you're out of luck. Makes sense because this is the one out of two state parks in Lake Chelan.
The park itself is pretty standard, it has a lot of amenities which are nice but if you're looking for something more remote and off the grid, this is not it, at all.
On the plus side, you have access to the lake for swimming, fishing, boating, etc.
I'd say this is a nice spot for families because the park even has a playground and a small store complete with popsicles.
Overall, it is a nice park minus the masses.
Clark W. Griswold would love Lake Chelan State Park.
The good: lots of restrooms in reasonable condition, although bustling with activity you don't feel cramped too much, there's a concessionaire that serves hot food 'til 10PM if your cooking stinks (though their morning lattes they serve are not great... but hey! it's CAMPING!)
Hot/warm showers are 50 cents for 3 minutes.
The views of the lake are incredible. Lots of paved roads through RV/tent camping area to ride your bike around (I couldn't find the "real" trails during our 3 day/ 2 night stay).
The bad: in the summer it is HOT and you crave the shade. Hanging out on the beach and lake does the trick but bring plenty of heavy duty sunscreen -- that sandy feeling on your back isn't sand, it's a 2nd degree burn! @#!$#@%! The late evenings and overnights can get too cold for some (I would guess cools to 50-60 degrees from a 80-90 degree daytime high). Bring your sweats!
The ugly: dusty as a mo-fo! The dust is so fine it gets everywhere! Since you're sweaty a lot, you can't get away from being dirty all the time. It is so fine, it gets into every pore and crease in your skin. If you're trying to keep kids clean -- fughetaboutit at Chelan!
Also, I found earwig bugs that hitched a ride home with me in my bags where I packed my clothes and blankets. during the whole trip I only got one bug bite though... but I used some Off insect repellent product most of the time.
More positive stuff not to overlook and other advice:
This area is mostly far enough away from major light pollution to allow you to see the stars at night. My friends and I had an awesome experience realizing we could see the Milky Way. Quite humbling when you realize what appears to the naked eye as a faint smear of white light is uncountable billions of stars.
Kind of an easy and quick drive to Lake Chelan, especially the 70 MPH stretch on I-90. Never far from services.
Cool on-line reservation feature was pretty easy to use http://www.parks.wa.go... or one can call (888) CAMPOUT to reserve a place over the phone.
Side trips to the wineries around Chelan or the Rocky Reach Dam on the Columbia River, located off Alt. Hwy. 97 near Entiat are pretty cool things to do/see when you're there or on the way home.
Bring your own firewood. Bundles you buy there are $5 and some places sell them roadside for $3-4 a bundle. A bundle is about 4-6 shoebox sized split logs lashed together.
Animals we saw during the trip:
huge birds of prey
bats (creeped us out, but we were happy they were keeping skeeters in check)
squirrels or chipmunks
deer (incl. a smooshed one on Hwy 97)
trout (at Rocky Reach Dam)
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