lady of the lake

Katsoma

Nice ferry boat for four hr trip to Stehekin. Nothing special about the boat but it is the way to get to Stehekin and it is ok for that

882RobertoC

The Lady of the Lake leaves Chelan in the early morning hours and makes stops at 25 mile State Park and Holden ( a retreat area). The trip on the fast boat takes 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Within the hour you are headed northwest and are in a remote area with peaks on either side. The final destination is Steheiken, which is located in the Northern Cascades and abuts the Pacific Crest Trail. Steheiken is remote. There is limited services but one can do a few things there, such as renting a bike and riding to the falls and seeing the school house (a single room school still in use!). Leave your cellphone, bring a camera and some food and enjoy the day there. On the way back, take the slow ferry and enjoy a jewel of WA State.

theseattlegirl

This was our first time taking the Lady up the lake and it was pretty cool. I had heard about a great pizza and bakery place that we were dying to try....although these places along with everything else was closed in the winter. When we booked the trip it would have been nice to know that we would be starving all day and should pack some food and beverage. I would still suggest going as it really was a cool ride up, but pack some food!

sldufhglviuser

The ferry is mainly a form of transportation, really. We used it to reach Holden Village. But, it was well organized, inexpensive, and the Captain's "voiceover" of historical facts was really fun. They are the only game in town but still run a customer focused, quality operation.

Hendersons2007

It was a fun trip, and we had a park guide explain how the lake was formed. And got to stop at the bakery!

CarlC603

We found this boat ride to be a wonderful way to not only get up the lake to Holden Village and Stehekin but also a great way to simply enjoy (on a sunny warm day) the distinct beauty of the region. We love to sit in the bow of the boat but also on the broad back deck. We look forward to our next ride!

Debskalk

This was our fourth trip on the Lady of the Lake. Even though there's not much to do in the winter, we still find it beautiful and relaxing every time we take the trip.

lmjives

A local young man told us the lake trip from Chelan to Stehekin would be boring and that he didn't recommend it. We found it fascinating. It's a real-life passenger ferry, that accommodates tourists like us; on our trip there were mine workers going to their camp for two weeks, trekkers, groceries, and other supplies. At each of the 2 stops, debarking passengers formed a bucket brigade to offload goods before going on their way. Stehekin is a tiny town of 85 permanent residents. They have electricity and internet but no phones and no grocery store or pharmacy. A 45 minutes bus tour on a big red bus, took us to rainbow falls and through beautiful fall colours, I've only rated it as 'very good' because if you aren't interested in things like that, yes, the 2 1/2 hour boat trip each way might seem tedious. I found every aspect of the scenery rivetting.

wildchough

Very stable, well-run boat highly recommended as the way to enjoy the lake and the long 55-mile ride to Stehekin. The boat makes several stops and if you don't mind the 3.5 hour ride, then relax, bring your camera and binoculars and enjoy great scenary, some unique little ports of call (alias docks), and occasional wildlife like deer, eagles, waterfowl, and Western Grebes. Best in summer when you can stay longer in Stehekin or get a motel or B&B up there and enjoy a town with no connecting road system. Snacks available on the boat and comfortable seats both inside and outside. Lake can get rough so plan accordingly with the seasick pills but not needed most trips. The captain announces useful bits about the ports of call and the lake's history and geology. Snacks and drinks available at a reasonable price.

RetiredTraveler2009

Recommendation. Take the fast boat up and the slow boat back. That way you have more time to spend in Stehekin. The slow boat is too long, in our opinion, going both ways. It is relaxing, but you're limited on time in Stehekin it you take the same boat both ways. There is a fun bus trip up to some nice falls, a great bakery, some hikes if you have the time, and a nice Parks building. Make reservations early if you are in the Chelan area during summer months.

Show-Me-Travelers

We spent a day at Stehekin using the Chelan Seaplane to get there and returning using the Lady of the Lake boat ride. The boat ride was a very nice experience, with lots of great scenery. However, it is a little long at 4 hours. My husband was able to get a little nap inside the covered section of the boat. The boat is plenty big enough and has a section to purchase drinks and snacks. You can sit outside on the upper deck or on the lower deck forward. There are also two covered areas on each deck. There was not any rolling, or up & down motion of the boat along the entire journey, so you don't have to worry about motion sickness.

Teaspoon42

The boat trip up into Lake Chelan was beautiful! If you are only spending the day in Stehekin, I would recommend the boat combination that gives you the longest time up the lake. We backpacked and when we gave the boat staff our packs for the return trip, we said that we would be returning to Chelan, not the first drop point. As the boat was pulling away from the dock at the first drop point, we saw our packs sitting on the pier! Luckily the captain turned the boat around with only a minor snarky remark against us (for something that his own staff messed up on). Otherwise the trip was very good and the time up in Stehekin was well worth the trip.

kflyfish

Have been on this ferry system several times and found to be very comfortable and safe. Great on board staff.

gabbyct

They have two boats- one is the Express and the other is the 4 hour boat. I took the 4 hour up to Stehekin and the Express back after my multi day stay. The 4 hour trip was more of a tour guide trip as the captain gave us factoids about the area as we were travelling through . The Express boat did not. I enjoyed both trips greatly. The scenery is fabulous. The crew is super friendly and helpful. I would go back just for the boat ride

DA103

My wife, daughter and I took the slow boat down to Stehekin recently, and it was one of the most extraordinarily beautiful boat trips. The scenary along the trip is magnificently sublime, just overwhelmingly gorgeous. We sat out on the deck the whole time just breathing it all in. The boat is really comfortable, with a small concessions stand which serves drinks, hot dogs, and candy bars. We took the express boat back the following day, which was an equally stunning trip.