Discover 5 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Lake Chelan National Recreation Area (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Rainbow Falls, Golden West Visitor Center, and Buckner Cabin. Also, be sure to include Three Wives in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Lake Chelan National Recreation Area (Washington).
Table of Contents
Rainbow Falls
Waterfall in Washington State. Rainbow Falls is a waterfall on Rainbow Creek in the U.S. state of Washington. The waterfall is located inside the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area in the North Cascades National Park, and is near Stehekin. The falls drops 392 feet in two tiers. The uppermost tier falls 312 feet to a basin.
The waterfall is accessible from a series of trails maintained by the National Park Service and is easily visible from the Stehekin Valley Road. During the summer months a National Park Service shuttle provides regular transport from the Stehekin dock to Rainbow Falls.[1]
Golden West Visitor Center
Visitor center in Stehekin, Washington. The Golden West Visitor Center is located at the southeast unit of North Cascades National Park Complex in the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. It sits at the southern end of the small town of Stehekin, Washington and is the only National Park Service visitor center in the southeast unit of the Park Complex. It is the main ranger station for all traffic in and out from the south end of the park via boat, seaplane or by foot from the many hiking trails linking the Stehekin River Valley to the outside world.[2]
Buckner Cabin
The Buckner Cabin, also known as William Buzzard's Cabin, located about 2.6 miles northwest of Stehekin, Washington in Lake Chelan National Recreation Area of North Cascades National Park Complex, is one of a group of structures relating to the theme of early settlement in the Lake Chelan area. The original cabin, listed individually as the Buckner Cabin on the National Register of Historic Places, was built in 1889 by Willam Buzzard and altered in 1911 by William and Harry Buckner. The surrounding structures are included in the Buckner Homestead Historic District.
The cabin has been added to the National Register of Historic Placesin 1974 and has been included in the Buckner Homestead Historic District in 1989.[3]
Three Wives
Three Wives is a 7,450-foot-elevation mountain summit located in North Cascades National Park, in Chelan County of Washington state. It is situated in the Methow Mountains, a subset of the North Cascades. Neighbors include Hock Mountain, three miles to the east-northeast, and Bowen Mountain, the nearest higher neighbor, two miles to the south. Precipitation runoff from Three Wives drains into tributaries of Bridge Creek, which in turn is a tributary of the Stehekin River. The first ascent of the summit was made by John Roper on October 10, 1980. This mountain's name was applied by Roper, but has not been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names, so it does not appear on USGS maps.[4]
Stehekin School
School in Stehekin, Washington. The Stehekin School is a log structure built in 1921 as a school for the community of Stehekin, Washington. The property includes two outhouses and a separate kindergarten cabin. The school was used from 1921 to 1988, when a new school was built.
Stehekin School was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.[5]