Long, Lean and Beautiful

Lake Chelan is 55 miles long, 1,486ft deep making it the third deepest lake in the country and the 25^th in the world. The average width of the lake is 1 mile across. Long, lean and beautiful best describes Lake Chelan. With some of the cleanest glacial waters I have ever swam in, with deep colors of greens and blues with very good visibility.

The Lake Chelan Sawtooth Wilderness Area contains 151,435 acres all in the state of Washington located within the Okanogan and Wenatchee National forest. It became a part of the 109 million acre National Wilderness Preservation System in 1984.

The Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness is located on the east side of Lake Chelan and runs in a northwest-southeast direction over about 25 miles. The crest of the divide is generally known as the Sawtooths. However, they dont really look like Sawteeth with the exception of a few Rock Glaciers and Steep North Walls. Martin Peak, Mt. Bigelow, and Star Peak all are good examples having steep north walls.



The North Side of Star Peak ( 8690 ft)



From the Northeastern shore of Lake Chelan, the Wilderness rises rapidly to the crest of the Sawtooth range, which cuts diagonally through the Lake Chelan area. Northeast of the crest of the range, terrain drops down in to the Methow Valley of the Twisp River only to climb again on the other side.

Twisp River

 

Wolf creek and other drainages have created deep ravines throughout the wilderness area; making elevations within the wilderness vary from 1,100ft to 9,000. The highest point in the Wilderness is Gardner Mountain (8,897 ft) on the northern boundary. The highest point in the area most associate as the Wilderness is Oval Peak (8,795 ft).







Gardner Mountain (8,897ft)





Oval Peak (8,795 ft)