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Showing posts with label Lake Chelan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lake Chelan. Show all posts

Things To Do At Lake Chelan in Winter : Lake Chelan Winterfest

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Every January, the Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce hosts their annual Lake Chelan Winterfest Festival. The charming town is transformed in to a winter paradise for the annual weekend-long event.

Polar Bear Plunge During Lake Chelan Winterfest


Winterfest is the perfect escape to a Washington winter wonderland !

Slidewaters Waterpark & Water Slides in Sunny Lake Chelan, WA

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Lake Chelan Waterpark and Water Slides is a small, but full of fun waterpark for all ages located just 5 minutes away from Lake Chelan downtown.

Located on the banks above beautiful Lake Chelan, the park is an amazing place to have family fun while enjoying the breathtaking views of the majestic Lake Chelan in the background !

Slidewaters Waterpark & Water Slides in Lake Chelan, WA

TIP: The place itself is not that big... so try to get there early in the morning to beat the heat, and the crowds. Parking can also become an issue on during crowded weekends, and holidays.

Winter activities in Chelan.

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The Lake Chelan Valley ( that encompasses the resort towns of Chelan, Manson and Stehekin ) in central Washington State, is famous for its summer water recreation - fishing, boating, jet skiing, parasailing, kayaking, and ( surprisingly to me) even snorkling and scuba diving !

The whole North Central Washington ( which includes The Lake Chelan Valley ) has a very intriguing and appealing claim of " 300 days of sunshine " , which for outdoor enthusiasts means more time to do their favorite seasonal activities in more pleasant ( comparing to Seattle ) weather.

Though, the “Lake County ” is mainly associated with summer water recreation and resort activities, hoping to catch one of those " 300 days of sunshine", this February , I set out on my ( only !) second trip to Lake Chelan.

According to numerous " travel resources" :
...the area is becoming well known for a variety of winter sports , like downhill and cross country skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing...
Just seven miles from downtown Chelan, they have a great, little known snow playground - Echo Valley Ski area ( for skiing, boarding and tubing). This year, the winter has been horrible for every ski area, and during my visit, the Echo Valley Ski ski area was closed due to lack of snow.

But 2 miles past downhill ski area, and high in the hills above Lake Chelan, ( I discovered for myself ) Echo Ridge Nordic Ski Area, the scenic ridge-top location that provides breath taking views of Lake Chelan's fjord like valley and the Stewart Range. Echo Ridge has 40 kilometers of trails that follow the contours of the terrain creating interesting and exciting skiing for all ability levels. The Echo Ridge Nordic Trail system also includes trails designated just for snowshoers, but I've never been a fan of snowshoeing in an area mainly designed for xc skiing ( just not that fun for me ! ).


Pressed on time I took a quick trip to the Ridge View point. The weather that day just didn't want to cooperate , and after taking a ( very disappointing ) picture ( been there, done that ), I went back to downtown.



Whenever I travel, my first stop is always at a local visitor center. Often, here you can find information that you can't find even on the Internet.

Unfortunately, this time , even here I couldn't find any info on snowmobile guided tours, so if you know about a local outfitter, please share with us.

At the Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Information Center, I picked up several brochures to plan my summer retreat here. Among activities that I am super stoked to do are : a trip to Stehekin ( backpacking, horseback riding), wakeboarding/windserfing/jet skiing on the lake, paragliding/hand gliding off Chelan Butte, taking a trike flight over the lake, diving ( ?), and though I am not a big fan of fishing, I am willing to give it a try.

Here are a few images from Google, to consider Chelan ( and Echo Ridge in particular ) to be your next winter destination:




Check out more outdoor adventures related to Lake Chelan area :