Lake Chelan (/ʃəˈlæn/shə-LAN) is a narrow, 50.5 mi (81.3 km) long
lake in
Chelan County, north-central
Washington state,
U.S.[1] It is an
overdeepened lake and resembles a
fjord, with an average width of 1.3 mi (2.1 km). Near its upper end, the lake surface lies more than 6,600 ft (2,000 m) below peaks less than 3 mi (4.8 km) away.[3][4] Before 1927, Lake Chelan was
the largest natural lake in the state in terms of both surface area and water volume.[2][5] Upon the completion of
Lake Chelan Dam in 1927, the elevation of the lake was increased by 21 ft (6.4 m) to its present maximum-capacity elevation of 1,100 ft (340 m).[2]
With a maximum depth of 1,486 ft (453 m), Lake Chelan is the third deepest lake in the United States behind
Crater Lake, the deepest, and
Lake Tahoe, the second deepest. Because of overdeepening, the sides of this lake drop steeply to its bottom. The deepest part of Lake Chelan lies as much as 436 ft (133 m) below sea level. In places, the bedrock floor of the valley occupied by Lake Chelan, which is buried by
Pleistoceneglacial and
lacustrinesediments, lies at least 1,529 ft (466 m) below
sea level. Two communities lie on the southern end of the lake, and a third sits at the far north end, providing a gateway to the
North Cascades National Park.[3][4]
Hydrology
On an annual basis, an average of 2,200 cubic feet per second (62 m3/s) flow into the lake.[6] Approximately 75% of the water that flows into the lake comes from two tributaries.[7] The
Stehekin River alone contributes 65% of all water to Lake Chelan, averaging 1,401 cu ft/s (39.7 m3/s) annually.[8] The other major tributary,
Railroad Creek, averages 202 cu ft/s (5.7 m3/s) annually.[6] The remaining water is added via a number of smaller tributaries as well as direct rain and snowfall.
With a maximum depth of 1,486 feet (453 m),[6] Lake Chelan is the
third deepest lake in the United States, and the
25th deepest in the world. At its deepest, the lake bottom is 388 feet (118 m) below sea level.[9] The total watershed of the lake is 924 square miles (2,390 km2)[7][10][11] More than 90% of the watershed is forested land. The remainder of the basin is composed of the lake itself (5.6%) and agriculture (3.5%).[12]
Geology
The fjord-like topography of the Lake Chelan valley results from repeated glacial erosion and deposition (maybe nine or ten times) during the Pleistocene Period.[4][13] The last episode of glacial erosion and deposition in the basin occurred during the
Last Glacial Maximum about 21,000 years ago. At that time, in the upper
Similkameen River valley of
British Columbia, the Skagit Lobe split from the Okanogan Lobe of the
Cordilleran ice sheet and advanced south into the
Skagit River drainage.[14] Skagit ice passed through Fisher and Rainy passes, and down Bridge Creek into the Lake Chelan valley. The glacial lobe flowed down the Lake Chelan valley until meeting glacial ice of the main Okanogan Lobe advancing up the valley from the
Columbia River drainage near
Manson. The deposits of the northwestward advancing Okanagan lobe are characterized by large,
basaltglacial erratics.[4] As the Skagit Lobe during the Last Glacial Maximum and glacial lobes during older glaciations flowed to the southeast down the Lake Chelan valley, they excavated the deep glacial trough that is now occupied by Lake Chelan.[14] The depth of the Lucerne Basin and the elevation of glacial
till and
moraines and glacier-scoured bedrock on the walls of the overdeepened Lake Chelan valley indicates that the thickness of the Skagit Lobe was over 1 mi (1.6 km).[3][4]
Basins
Lake Chelan is composed of two basins. The lower basin, Wapato, is shallower and approximately a fourth the total length of the lake. The upper basin, Lucerne, is much deeper and extends for the remainder of the length of the lake. The two basins are separated by a sill rising to within 122 ft (37 m) of the surface, at a point known as the narrows, at which the lake is only 0.35 miles (0.56 km) wide.[9]
The lower basin, Wapato, reaches a maximum depth of only 400 feet (120 m). About 600 feet (180 m) of glacial sediment and rockslide deposits rest on top of the bedrock.[15] This section of the lake is 12 miles (19 km) long, and has an average depth of 190 feet (58 m).[16] Due to the relatively modest size of this basin, water resides in this basin for only 0.8 years, compared to 10 for Lucerne Basin.[17] The upper Lucerne basin is 38 miles (61 km) long with an average depth of 1,148 feet (350 m) and thus by far the larger of the two basins.[16] It is in this part of the lake that the maximum depth of 1,486 feet (453 m) is found. Lucerne basin contains 92% of the water in Lake Chelan and 74% of the surface area, leaving Wapato with only 8% of the total volume of water and 26% of the surface area.[8][9][15] The upper basin of Lake Chelan is surrounded by more mountainous terrain, resulting in few beaches along the shoreline. Approximately 50 miles (80 km) of the shoreline of this basin are in National Forest lands, and 12 miles (19 km) in National Park lands.[8]
Natural history
Climate
The climate of Lake Chelan's watershed is varied. From the southern end of the lake in the
rain shadow of the
Cascade Range, to the northern tip of the lake located in the eastern Cascades, the climate of Lake Chelan's watershed is as diverse as the lake is long. The south end's weather is notably dry, with
Chelan averaging only 11.4 inches (29 cm) of rain per year, along with 21.8 inches (55 cm) of snow. Stehekin receives an average of 35.5 inches (90 cm) of rain per year, and 122.5 inches (311 cm) of snow. Other than precipitation trends, the climates are remarkably similar. Both locations average around 60 °F (16 °C) for a high, and 40 °F (4 °C) for a low throughout the course of the year.[citation needed]
Climate data for Chelan, Washington (south end of lake) (1991–2020 normals, extremes since 1891)
The name Chelan is a
Salish Indigenous word, "Tsi - Laan," meaning 'Deep Water'.[20]
Cities
Due to the isolated nature of Lake Chelan, especially at its northern reaches, there is not a large population that resides along the shore.
Chelan, which had 4,222 residents at the
2020 census,[21] is currently the only incorporated city situated along the lake shore. The city is located at the southern terminus of the lake, adjacent to the
Lake Chelan Dam and the
Chelan River outflow. The
census-designated place of
Manson, which had 1,523 residents in 2020,[22] is also located at the southern end of the lake. The
unincorporated community of
Stehekin,[23] with approximately 75 residents,[24] is located at the northern terminus of the lake, adjacent to the
Stehekin River inflow. At the mouth of the Railroad Creek sits
Lucerne, a small community of private cabins served by commercial boats.[23] Lucerne is also the primary gateway to the community of
Holden Village, a Lutheran retreat center located 11 mi (18 km) inland from the lake. With approximately 50 long-term residents, Holden includes one of the few remaining public K-12 two-room schools in the contiguous United States.[25]
In 2013, a 35.63 lb (16.16 kg)
Lake Trout was caught, setting the state record.[28]
Winemaking
The
Lake Chelan AVA surrounds the southernmost 12 miles of Lake Chelan.[29] A subzone of the larger
Columbia Valley AVA, the Lake Chelan AVA is home to 31 tasting rooms.[30]
In addition to the protected land located directly on the shores of Lake Chelan, Stehekin serves not only as a gateway to the Lake Chelan NRA, but also to the rest of the
North Cascades National Park Complex,
Stephen Mather Wilderness, and adjacent National Forest Wilderness Areas.[32] Approximately 87% of the Lake Chelan watershed is owned by either federal, state, or local entities, with the rest in private ownership.[12]
Gallery
View of Manson orchards from the south shore of Lake Chelan
View uplake from the south shore of Lake Chelan
View of Lake Chelan from Lakeshore trail, near
Stehekin
Domke Falls is the best known waterfall that drops into the lake
Lake Chelan as seen from the southern shore off
U.S. Highway 97A
^
abcdeLillquis, Karl (2016). Moses Coulee to Chelan Field Trip, 12 June 2016. Ellensburg, Washington: Ellensburg Chapter, Ice Age Floods Institute. p. 39.
^Freeman, O.W. (1944). "Glaciation and some human relationships at Lake Chelan". Northwest Science. 18 (3): 59–62.
^
abRiedel, J.L. (2017). "Deglaciation of the North Cascade Range, Washington and British Columbia, from the last glacial maximum to the Holocene". Cuadernos de investigación geográfica/Geographical Research Letters. 43: 59–62.
^
abChamberlain, William; Singleton, Lynn; Jay, Joe (1985-02-20).
"Lake Chelan Project Proposal"(PDF). Washington State Department of Ecology. Retrieved 2015-01-19.
^"Native American Legends"(PDF). USDA Forest Service - Pacific Northwest Region. Archived from
the original(PDF) on April 11, 2006. Retrieved 2007-06-26.
Lake Chelan (/ʃəˈlæn/shə-LAN) is a narrow, 50.5 mi (81.3 km) long
lake in
Chelan County, north-central
Washington state,
U.S.[1] It is an
overdeepened lake and resembles a
fjord, with an average width of 1.3 mi (2.1 km). Near its upper end, the lake surface lies more than 6,600 ft (2,000 m) below peaks less than 3 mi (4.8 km) away.[3][4] Before 1927, Lake Chelan was
the largest natural lake in the state in terms of both surface area and water volume.[2][5] Upon the completion of
Lake Chelan Dam in 1927, the elevation of the lake was increased by 21 ft (6.4 m) to its present maximum-capacity elevation of 1,100 ft (340 m).[2]
With a maximum depth of 1,486 ft (453 m), Lake Chelan is the third deepest lake in the United States behind
Crater Lake, the deepest, and
Lake Tahoe, the second deepest. Because of overdeepening, the sides of this lake drop steeply to its bottom. The deepest part of Lake Chelan lies as much as 436 ft (133 m) below sea level. In places, the bedrock floor of the valley occupied by Lake Chelan, which is buried by
Pleistoceneglacial and
lacustrinesediments, lies at least 1,529 ft (466 m) below
sea level. Two communities lie on the southern end of the lake, and a third sits at the far north end, providing a gateway to the
North Cascades National Park.[3][4]
Hydrology
On an annual basis, an average of 2,200 cubic feet per second (62 m3/s) flow into the lake.[6] Approximately 75% of the water that flows into the lake comes from two tributaries.[7] The
Stehekin River alone contributes 65% of all water to Lake Chelan, averaging 1,401 cu ft/s (39.7 m3/s) annually.[8] The other major tributary,
Railroad Creek, averages 202 cu ft/s (5.7 m3/s) annually.[6] The remaining water is added via a number of smaller tributaries as well as direct rain and snowfall.
With a maximum depth of 1,486 feet (453 m),[6] Lake Chelan is the
third deepest lake in the United States, and the
25th deepest in the world. At its deepest, the lake bottom is 388 feet (118 m) below sea level.[9] The total watershed of the lake is 924 square miles (2,390 km2)[7][10][11] More than 90% of the watershed is forested land. The remainder of the basin is composed of the lake itself (5.6%) and agriculture (3.5%).[12]
Geology
The fjord-like topography of the Lake Chelan valley results from repeated glacial erosion and deposition (maybe nine or ten times) during the Pleistocene Period.[4][13] The last episode of glacial erosion and deposition in the basin occurred during the
Last Glacial Maximum about 21,000 years ago. At that time, in the upper
Similkameen River valley of
British Columbia, the Skagit Lobe split from the Okanogan Lobe of the
Cordilleran ice sheet and advanced south into the
Skagit River drainage.[14] Skagit ice passed through Fisher and Rainy passes, and down Bridge Creek into the Lake Chelan valley. The glacial lobe flowed down the Lake Chelan valley until meeting glacial ice of the main Okanogan Lobe advancing up the valley from the
Columbia River drainage near
Manson. The deposits of the northwestward advancing Okanagan lobe are characterized by large,
basaltglacial erratics.[4] As the Skagit Lobe during the Last Glacial Maximum and glacial lobes during older glaciations flowed to the southeast down the Lake Chelan valley, they excavated the deep glacial trough that is now occupied by Lake Chelan.[14] The depth of the Lucerne Basin and the elevation of glacial
till and
moraines and glacier-scoured bedrock on the walls of the overdeepened Lake Chelan valley indicates that the thickness of the Skagit Lobe was over 1 mi (1.6 km).[3][4]
Basins
Lake Chelan is composed of two basins. The lower basin, Wapato, is shallower and approximately a fourth the total length of the lake. The upper basin, Lucerne, is much deeper and extends for the remainder of the length of the lake. The two basins are separated by a sill rising to within 122 ft (37 m) of the surface, at a point known as the narrows, at which the lake is only 0.35 miles (0.56 km) wide.[9]
The lower basin, Wapato, reaches a maximum depth of only 400 feet (120 m). About 600 feet (180 m) of glacial sediment and rockslide deposits rest on top of the bedrock.[15] This section of the lake is 12 miles (19 km) long, and has an average depth of 190 feet (58 m).[16] Due to the relatively modest size of this basin, water resides in this basin for only 0.8 years, compared to 10 for Lucerne Basin.[17] The upper Lucerne basin is 38 miles (61 km) long with an average depth of 1,148 feet (350 m) and thus by far the larger of the two basins.[16] It is in this part of the lake that the maximum depth of 1,486 feet (453 m) is found. Lucerne basin contains 92% of the water in Lake Chelan and 74% of the surface area, leaving Wapato with only 8% of the total volume of water and 26% of the surface area.[8][9][15] The upper basin of Lake Chelan is surrounded by more mountainous terrain, resulting in few beaches along the shoreline. Approximately 50 miles (80 km) of the shoreline of this basin are in National Forest lands, and 12 miles (19 km) in National Park lands.[8]
Natural history
Climate
The climate of Lake Chelan's watershed is varied. From the southern end of the lake in the
rain shadow of the
Cascade Range, to the northern tip of the lake located in the eastern Cascades, the climate of Lake Chelan's watershed is as diverse as the lake is long. The south end's weather is notably dry, with
Chelan averaging only 11.4 inches (29 cm) of rain per year, along with 21.8 inches (55 cm) of snow. Stehekin receives an average of 35.5 inches (90 cm) of rain per year, and 122.5 inches (311 cm) of snow. Other than precipitation trends, the climates are remarkably similar. Both locations average around 60 °F (16 °C) for a high, and 40 °F (4 °C) for a low throughout the course of the year.[citation needed]
Climate data for Chelan, Washington (south end of lake) (1991–2020 normals, extremes since 1891)
The name Chelan is a
Salish Indigenous word, "Tsi - Laan," meaning 'Deep Water'.[20]
Cities
Due to the isolated nature of Lake Chelan, especially at its northern reaches, there is not a large population that resides along the shore.
Chelan, which had 4,222 residents at the
2020 census,[21] is currently the only incorporated city situated along the lake shore. The city is located at the southern terminus of the lake, adjacent to the
Lake Chelan Dam and the
Chelan River outflow. The
census-designated place of
Manson, which had 1,523 residents in 2020,[22] is also located at the southern end of the lake. The
unincorporated community of
Stehekin,[23] with approximately 75 residents,[24] is located at the northern terminus of the lake, adjacent to the
Stehekin River inflow. At the mouth of the Railroad Creek sits
Lucerne, a small community of private cabins served by commercial boats.[23] Lucerne is also the primary gateway to the community of
Holden Village, a Lutheran retreat center located 11 mi (18 km) inland from the lake. With approximately 50 long-term residents, Holden includes one of the few remaining public K-12 two-room schools in the contiguous United States.[25]
In 2013, a 35.63 lb (16.16 kg)
Lake Trout was caught, setting the state record.[28]
Winemaking
The
Lake Chelan AVA surrounds the southernmost 12 miles of Lake Chelan.[29] A subzone of the larger
Columbia Valley AVA, the Lake Chelan AVA is home to 31 tasting rooms.[30]
In addition to the protected land located directly on the shores of Lake Chelan, Stehekin serves not only as a gateway to the Lake Chelan NRA, but also to the rest of the
North Cascades National Park Complex,
Stephen Mather Wilderness, and adjacent National Forest Wilderness Areas.[32] Approximately 87% of the Lake Chelan watershed is owned by either federal, state, or local entities, with the rest in private ownership.[12]
Gallery
View of Manson orchards from the south shore of Lake Chelan
View uplake from the south shore of Lake Chelan
View of Lake Chelan from Lakeshore trail, near
Stehekin
Domke Falls is the best known waterfall that drops into the lake
Lake Chelan as seen from the southern shore off
U.S. Highway 97A
^
abcdeLillquis, Karl (2016). Moses Coulee to Chelan Field Trip, 12 June 2016. Ellensburg, Washington: Ellensburg Chapter, Ice Age Floods Institute. p. 39.
^Freeman, O.W. (1944). "Glaciation and some human relationships at Lake Chelan". Northwest Science. 18 (3): 59–62.
^
abRiedel, J.L. (2017). "Deglaciation of the North Cascade Range, Washington and British Columbia, from the last glacial maximum to the Holocene". Cuadernos de investigación geográfica/Geographical Research Letters. 43: 59–62.
^
abChamberlain, William; Singleton, Lynn; Jay, Joe (1985-02-20).
"Lake Chelan Project Proposal"(PDF). Washington State Department of Ecology. Retrieved 2015-01-19.
^"Native American Legends"(PDF). USDA Forest Service - Pacific Northwest Region. Archived from
the original(PDF) on April 11, 2006. Retrieved 2007-06-26.