The Spring Beaches of Lake Chelan

Outdoor Rec

Mar 15

Written By

Walk ‘em Before They’re Gone

Every March a hidden jewel of Lake Chelan emerges: its beaches. South shore and north – long expansive shores emerge. But get your beachcombing in quick because the water rises come April.

The Best Beach

Locals have opinions on the best beach for walking. The Lakeside Park beach and the sand spit uplake from the Three Fingers are fun to explore. My favorite is the stretch of sand on the north shore from the city park to Spader Bay.

This route offers the best of all worlds: a convenient starting point, a perfect distance, and a bit of history. Here is a step-by-step guide:

*Concrete steps at the Spader Bay Point*

Park at Don Morse Park and start walking uplake on the beach.
Past the park, walk under the docks of Darnell's Resort.
Continue along the water’s edge past the Spader Bay Condos and homes.
Round the corner of the Spader Bay point.
Look for an old set of concrete steps in the sand. (Who built them?)
Pause for a moment and imagine life in the valley before the Chelan Dam.
Return to the park.

The Year the Water Rose

The water began to rise in 1927 along the shores of Lake Chelan. The Chelan Dam had recently been completed. For several years, crews had been hard at work around the lake preparing for the flood. Trees were cut along the shoreline. Homes jacked up and moved. Streets abandoned.

Today, remnants of this past can still be seen when the water drops. Tree stumps dot the shore at low water. Old remnants of foundations can be seen. And still-valid street right-of-ways become visible again. (As an example, the strips of lake in between the Three Fingers on the south shore are city right-of-way.)

Sunshine. Blue water. Blue Sky

Nostalgia and beauty and the joy of spring collide for me every March on Lake Chelan’s beaches.

As a boy, I loved to play 'battleship' with my brother. We would throw a large stick as our target in the water. Rocks became artillery used to 'sink' the battleship. Direct hits were always a source of great satisfaction.

We scoured the beach for the best skipping rocks. Flat rocks of a certain weight were coveted. Achieving three skips was good. Five noteworthy. Anything six and over was celebrated by shouts from the skipper to his buddy: “Did you see that!”

And we dug in the clay beds until our hands were dripping gray. One year my brother made a small pot adorned with rocks. Mom was nice enough to let him bake it off in her oven. She enjoyed receiving the pot a few weeks later on Mother’s Day.