Best Lake Chelan View: North or South Shore?

Real Estate

Nov 11

Written By

The North Shore - South Shore Series

Which shore of Lake Chelan – north or south – is the best for a vacation home? Ask ten locals and you’ll receive ten different spirited responses. When it comes to the Lake Chelan lifestyle, the best shore to call home is a hot topic.

I’ve lived on both shores and can see the relative merits of each. In an earlier post, I explored how the sun dramatically influences life on either shore. Today, I’ll consider how the views of the valley differ from each shore.

Lake, Land, and Sky – Defining the Debate

Take a look at your last set of landscape photos from Lake Chelan. They have three elements: lake, land, and sky. The lake and sky change uniformly from both shores. But it is the land – framed by lake and sky – that uniquely defines each shore. If you live on the north shore, your views are defined by Stormy Mountain to the west (el. 7,198') and the Chelan Butte to the east (el. 3,835'). And from the south shore, you enjoy Stormy along with the Navarres northwest of Manson (el. 7,963').

Summer and Winter Toss-up

But which shore has the best view? The Navarres and Stormy of the south shore? Or Stormy and the Butte of the north shore?

To my eyes, it depends on the season. And in the heat of summer and the depths of winter, the views from both shores are stunning – dead-tie. The south shore offers an expansive view that travels across the lake, extends over the Manson basin, and stretches back to the Navarres. Stormy stands as a sentinel to the left defining the view along with Slide Ridge.

South shore view. Slide ridge on left. Sawtooth range in distance.

The north shore view is no less compelling. It centers on Stormy front and center. In the early summer Stormy may still have a wisp of snow on its north face. And in the winter it will be an all white jagged edge piercing the cold blue sky. Meanwhile, down lake the Butte will alternate between the dusty browns of summer and the virgin white of winter.

Spring and Fall: Clear Winners

But in spring and fall, there are clear winners. My “Best in Spring" award goes to the North Shore with its dynamic duo of peaks:

The Butte, with its constant evolution of character, dominates the attention of the lower basin. Its snow-capped ridges in March give way to velvet-green expanses in April and May.
Pair this with a snow-capped and brooding Stormy Mountain to the west and the north shore wins by a mile.

*Chelan Butte from North Shore – “Best in Spring”*

*Stormy Mountain from the North Shore – “Best in Spring”*

And then in the fall, the south shore takes the "Best in Autumn" prize. As days draw shorter and summer wanes, the intoxicating nature of the south shore view comes to life. The sun angle drops to the south and a golden light appears in the afternoons of September. This light stretches across the lake, and just before sunset, skips across the ridge lines of the Navarres. In that light, a timelessness pervades.