Assisted Living Costs in Nearby Cities

Facts about Stehekin

Stehekin is also known as: Stehekin.

Stehekin is a small unincorporated community in Chelan County, Washington. It is part of Wenatchee-East Wenatchee Metropolitan Statistical Area. Located at the northwest end of Lake Chelan, it lies just south of the North Cascades National Park. It is within Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, a unit administered by the National Park Service. Stehekin has about 75 permanent residents, though its population swells during the summer with vacationers and seasonal workers. The name "Stehekin" comes from a Native American word meaning "the way through."Sights in Stehekin include the Buckner Homestead Historic District, The Golden West Visitor Center, Stehekin Pastry Company, the one-room Stehekin School, the 312' Rainbow Falls, and Harlequin Bridge. Stehekin is visited by hikers and bikers in the summer, and snowshoers and skiers in the winter, as well as photographers year-round.There is no road access to Stehekin, though roughly 22 miles of road exist there. It is reachable by passenger ferry by foot over the Cascade Pass, by private boat from Chelan, or by floatplane. The vehicles in Stehekin have been barged there on Lake Chelan.In addition to access by Lake Chelan, visitors come to Stehekin by horseback, hiking, and flying into Stehekin State Airport (Identifier 6S9). The airport is only open July, August, and September, and is noted by Washington State as being one of the state's most challenging airports. While only 1,230 ft (370 m) msl, there are mountains on the sides and trees at each end of the 2,630 ft (800 m) runway. The airport is often a base for firefighting, at which times it is closed to public use. The Harlequin campground is located next to the airport. Trout and sockeye salmon are popular targets for fishing in Stehekin.In 2003, much of the upper (northern) half of the Stehekin Valley Road was washed out by the nearby Stehekin River. Thus, access via Cascade Pass has become more difficult, adding as much as 10 miles (16 km) to the already strenuous trek.Another town with a similarly small population and similar access is Holden Village, surrounded by the Glacier Peak Wilderness and located 12 miles (19 km) up the Railroad Creek Valley from Lucerne, a boat landing on Lake Chelan.

Population shifts in Stehekin