Chelan, Washington

Chelan is like finding that perfect girl. There’s an instant connection, a mutual attraction. It’s a feeling you know is just right. In fact, we originally had no plans to even meet. If it wasn’t for some friends we met along the way introducing us, we may have been like two ships passing in the night.

I should know something about finding that perfect girl, since I married mine some 37 years ago, but that’s a story for another time. Not unlike that smoky bar 40 years ago, we both had an instant connection with Chelan, that has grown the more we have spent time there. It’s not perfect in all respects and there would be some serious challenges with living there, but all relationships do have there challenges, don’t they?

The town of Chelan sits at the southern end of the crystal clear waters of Lake Chelan, a glacially formed lake which stretches 50 miles north to the southern edge of the North Cascades National Park wilderness. The lake, the third deepest in the United States, sits in a valley with rolling hills lining the shorelines. Contrasting the brown hills are beautiful green vineyards and fruit orchards on ever patch of land that is remotely flat. As you travel north the terrain becomes more rugged and you will need either a boat or a backpack, because no roads lead here where the lake is shadowed by 6,600 foot mountain peaks.

The area reminded us of a combination of a few places we have been. Imagine Napa Valley with a glacial lake as a centerpiece but with much less people. Or possibly the more remote small town villages like Palisade Colorado with its peach and cherry orchards or the Salinas Valley wine country adjacent to Pinnacles National Park in California.

Chelan, although a summertime tourist spot and a place for destination weddings, didn’t seem overbearing in crowds and has kept it’s charm. The lake is popular for boating and fishing and is so large that it has plenty of room to spread out. However, it’s a narrow lake only about a mile wide which tend to keep the water somewhat calm on most days.

There always seems to be something happening in the area, whether it’s a farmers market, local entertainment at one of the wineries or simply family outings at one of the many lakeside parks. Speaking of wineries, there are 40 of them throughout the Lake Chelan AVA, in town and across the hills along the east and west shores. Some source their grapes elsewhere while others grow their own, but they are all smaller more personalized venues like Benson Vineyards sitting on a hillside with it’s amazing views of the lake from the back patio. Or Karma Vineyards with its cozy outside (dog friendly) patio and wine cave, where they were preparing for a wedding the next day.

TIP: Be sure to stop at the Visitors Center at the Chelan Chamber of Commerce. Some super helpful people work there and they will provide you with very informative maps to guide you to where all the wineries, restaurants and other activities are located.

Houses dot the shoreline and the hillsides and small marinas and docks accommodate boaters. Challenging, however, is the hilly shoreline making access difficult and a very expensive real-estate market, surprising since Chelan is 3 hours away from a major airport. Only about 10 minutes north of Chelan on the east shore is the town of Manson. This is like a sister of Chelan, one equally as beautiful but a little more down to earth. But I’m afraid that she’s no cheap date either. In addition to many wineries in Manson there’s an amazing family owned berry farm called Blueberry Hills Farm. The u-pick berry farm has a farmhouse-style restaurant with fantastic, down-home, scratch country cooking, homemade pies and the most incredible blueberry shakes you can imagine.

Chelan shows off her true beauty from the top of Butte Lookout. A steep, curvy narrow gravel road takes you to this spot that is popular for hangliding of all things. The views are absolutely incredible from this vantage point high above the lake. Caution must be taken in getting there, its narrow road with sharp drop offs and blind corners can be very dangerous.

I guess we’ll all have to wait for the sequel to see if we have a permanent future with Chelan or simply a long distance relationship. In any case, we hope it wasn’t just a one time fling. Until then, enjoy some of our pictures from the Lake Chelan area.

Safe travels and see you down the road a piece.