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Washington is famous for its nature, from the foothills of the Cascade Mountains to the moss-covered Hoh Rainforest of the Olympic Peninsula. The mountain lakes of this forested state are no exception. Read on to discover the eight most beautiful lakes in Washington state!
Lake Washington is the second biggest lake in the state. Along with the state, it was named after America’s first president, George Washington. It has an average depth of 108 feet and is 214 feet deep at its maximum. This body of water is fed by the Cedar River and the Sammamish River.
Its shoreline spans five separate cities – Renton, Bellvue, Kenmore, Kirkland, and Seattle. It also connects to the Puget Sound via the Lake Washington Ship Canal. Its placement makes it a hub for both recreation and commerce, as well as a popular destination for out-of-town visitors.
Lake Washington is famous for its Evergreen Point Floating bridge, the longest floating bridge in the world at 7,708.5 feet. The lake is also home to the second-longest floating bridge in the world, the Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge, which spans 6,620 feet. A number of small islands are scattered within the lake, including Broken Island, Foster Island, Mercer Island, and Marsh Island.
Boating is a mainstay at Lake Washington, and docks such as Yarrow Bay Marina, Morrison’s Dock, Seattle Boat Dock, and Northlake Marina provide everything from boat rental options to fueling and mooring. A few public boat launches exist as well, including the Magnuson Park, Mercer Island, Newport, and Kenmore launches.
Fishing is also popular on Lake Washington. The lake has year-round access to a variety of species including rainbow, steelhead, and coastal cutthroat trout. You can also find sockeye salmon, black crappie, chinook, yellow perch, coho, largemouth bass, and smallmouth bass.
Plenty of piers make for great fishing sites, including Gene Coulon Memorial Park, Seward Park, Marina Park, Waverly Park, and Luther Burbank Park. The lake is also great for swimming and picnicking along the shores.
Diablo Lake is a man-made lake situated between Ross Lake and Gorge Lake in the North Cascade Mountains. The lake has a maximum depth of 320 feet. Itis a popular location for bull trout and rainbow trout fishing due to its inflow from the Skagit River. It was formed alongside the Diablo Dam in 1930, which created the now-famous Diablo Lake Trail in the process. Diablo is part of the larger Ross Lake National Recreation Area, which provides opportunities for fishing, kayaking, and canoeing.
Diablo Lake is renowned for its out-of-this-world turquoise hue! The stunning color is a product of thin layers of rock (glacial flour) reflecting light from the sun. The best time to see this mesmerizing effect is between the months of July and September. The lake’s secluded location amongst the North Cascades only adds to its beauty.
Diablo Lake Lookout, which provides a stunning view of the water, is another popular tourist attraction. It is easily accessible for drivers on Highway 20. Ample parking, restrooms, and covered areas for eating, are all provided. And those curious about the history of the area will find plenty to read about on posted signs.
Camping is also an option at Diablo Lake, although you cannot access the campsites via car. Boating to the grounds is the only option for lakeside camping. However, the surrounding North Cascades National Park provides RV and tent camping. The surrounding hiking trails are some of the best in the nation, including the family-friendly, three-and-a-half-mile-long Thunder Knob trail. The seven-mile-long Diablo Lake Trail is also a favorite. The Diablo Dam is also worth visiting, as it used to be the biggest dam in the world! It provides an expansive view of the valley.
©iStock.com/libre de droit
Lake Crescent is one of the biggest lakes in the state, covering roughly eight miles with an average depth of 300 feet and a maximum depth of 624 feet. This lake is the second-deepest in the state, next to Lake Chelan. It is a part of the Olympic Peninsula in the greater Olympic National Park. Lake Crascent is the confluence of four rivers – Barnes Creek, Smith Creek, Aurora Creek, and Eagle Creek. It was formed when a combination of glaciers created deep valleys during the most recent ice age. A landslide that blocked Indian Creek around 8000 years ago and flooded the valley also contributed to its formation.
Lake Crescent is unusually clear due to the absence of nitrogen within its water, which prevents algae from spreading and muddying the surface. Hiking is one of the premier attractions at Lake Crescent. A range of trails are available for everyone from the casual day hiker to experienced trekkers. Some commonly sought-after routes include the Pyramid Mountain Trail, the Barnes Creek Trail, the Marymere Falls Trail, and the Spruce Railroad Trail.
Some of these trails are accessible from the Storm King Ranger Station. This wonderful resource also provides information about the area as well as activities and guided ranger tours. The Lake Crescent Lodge, built in 1915 and located right on the shoreline, provides log cabins for overnight stays. The lodge has a gift shop, bar, boat rentals, and of course immediate access to Lake Crescent.
Fishing (especially fly-fishing) is another popular activity at the lake, which is known for having a few distinct subspecies in addition to more common fish. Anglers can find the Beardslee trout, which evolved from the rainbow trout. The cutthroat trout, while not officially considered a subspecies, is a unique fish that is only found at Lake Crescent. Anglers can also expect to find steelhead, sockeye salmon, and rainbow trout.
Lake Chelan is the largest lake in Washington, and the third deepest in the United States. Nestled amongst the majestic peaks of the North Cascades, Lake Chelan is popular for its beautiful shoreline and surrounding nature. The lake is 1,486 feet deep with an average depth of 474 feet and a surface area of roughly 52 miles. It is fed by both Railroad Creek and the Stehekin River.
The Lake Chelan National Recreation Area and the Lake Chelan State Park are situated on the north and south sides of the lake, respectively. There are over 100 campsites available, but most of these usually have to be booked well in advance. A few less commonly reserved campgrounds are Kamei Campground, Snowberry Bowl Campground, and Wapato Lake Campground.
The temperate cooling effect of the lake makes its surroundings ideal for grape growing. As a result, there are more than twenty different wineries in the area. A few of the most popular include Hard Row to Hoe, Nefarious Cellars, and Chelan Ridge Winery.
Lake Chelan is world-renowned for its fishing, and its 110 miles of shore provide a spot for anglers to congregate. Recreational parks, docks, and camp sites line the lakeside, offering quick access to the water. Lake Chelan is regularly stocked with half a million kokanee salmon, 100,000 cutthroat, and plenty of large mouth and small mouth bass, bull trout, crappie, chinook salmon, blue gill, and rainbow trout. The lake is open for fishing all year long. Park rangers even provide fishing lessons and tours for the uninitiated.
Lake Wenatchee, located on the eastern edge of the Cascade Mountains, is part of the larger Lake Wenatchee State Park, perhaps the finest of its kind in the state. The lake is five miles long with a maximum depth of 244 feet. It is fed by the Little Wenatchee River and the White River.
Recreation is the name of the game at Lake Wenatchee, and with good reason. Swimming, fishing, jet skiing, windsurfing, and kayaking are all common activities. Additionally, hiking, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and even cross-country skiing are common. There are also around 200 campgrounds available to the public, divided into the North Campground and the South Campground. The United States Forest Service separately manages a third area, Glacier View Campground.
Fishing remains one of the biggest draws at Lake Wenatchee, which rangers stock with yellow perch, rainbow, brown, and bull Trout, steelhead, chinook salmon, and both smallmouth and largemouth bass. Several public docks and boat launches situated around the lake offer quick and easy access for anglers. Boats are available to rent, along with stand-up paddleboards and windsurfing boards. You can even learn to ride a horse at the Lake Wenatchee State Park Riding Stable.
Day-hikers and experienced trekkers alike will enjoy exploring Lake Wenatchee’s many hiking trails. The best trails include Dirty Face Trail, Hidden Lake Trailhead, and the Nason Ridge Trailhead. In the winter months, check in to Chiwawa Sno-Park and Nason Ridge Sno-Park for fun in the snow!
©Edmund Lowe Photography/Shutterstock.com
Baker Lake is a nine-mile-long lake in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. It is located about two and a half hours north of Seattle. It is a part of the larger Mt. Baker National Recreation Area (NRA). It’s a popular recreation location for tourists and citizens of the surrounding counties in Skagit and Whatcom.
There are 55 camp sites spread across the lake throughout Swift Creek Campground. They accommodate both regular tent set-ups and full-sized RVs. Other campgrounds include Shannon Creek, with 19 reservable sites, and Horshoe Cove, which has 38 campsites and operates without reservations.
The fishing season at Baker Lake runs from the last Saturday of every April up until Halloween night. Anglers flock to the lake in the spring and early summer months, as well as late fall, for its stock of Kokanee and trout. Other commonly spotted fish at Baker Lake include mountain whitefish, sockeye salmon, and bull trout. There are plenty of docks and easy access to boat rentals as well. A boat is a requirement for catching some of the species that inhabit deeper sections of the lake, such as sockeye and Kokanee.
In addition to camping, boating, and fishing, the Mount Baker National Recreation Area provides plenty of opportunities for hiking. Some popular trails include Scott Paul Trail, Railroad Grade Trail, Elbow Lake Trail, Park Butte Trail, Belle Pass Trail, and Ridley Creek Trail. All of these are open for horseback riding as well, except for Scott Paul Trail and Railroad Grade Trail. In addition, four campgrounds are available for overnight stays: High Camp, Railroad Camp, Mazama Park Horse Camp, and Cathedral Camp.
Lake Ozette is an eight-mile-long lake on the Olympic Peninsula, with a maximum depth of 331 feet. It is the third biggest freshwater lake in the state. It offers beautiful hiking, camping, and fishing. Visitors can also enjoy the majestic Olympic National Park.
Lake Ozette is also the site of more than 50,000 unearthed historical artifacts! Many of these are now on display at the Makah Cultural and Research Center. Excavated evidence of ancient societies that made their home on the lake date back at least 2,000 years. Experts even found an entire village ensconced in a mudslide roughly 300 years ago.
Some of Lake Ozette’s most beloved attractions include several boardwalks, which provide a beautiful three-mile-long path out to the coast. There are also 15 available campgrounds within direct sight of the lake, as well as cabin rentals. Hikers are encouraged to try the Ozette Loop, which links to oft-visited sites such as Sand Point and Cape Alava. Wedding Rocks is particularly interesting for its Native American petroglyphs.
There are also three islands within Lake Ozette: Garden Island, Tivoli, and Baby Island. These are popular locations for kayaking and canoeing, as well as for fishing, hiking, and overnight camping. Fishing is another past time at Lake Ozette, which hosts 13 species ranging from bass and perch to trout.
Situated in the Cascade Mountain Range, only 30 miles to the west of Mount St. Helens, lies Silver Lake. This lake is a part of Everett, the largest city in Snohomish Country. Visitors have easy access to everything from supermarkets and hotels to art galleries and live music.
Silver Lake is 51 feet at its deepest, with an average depth of 24 feet, and less than a mile long at 104 acres. The confluence of three local rivers forms Silver Lake, including the Thornton Tributary, which has its own city park, Thornton A. Sullivan Park. The other parks surrounding the lake are Green Lantern Park and Hauge Homestead Park. Silver Lake Creek flows from the lake, ultimately joining the Sammamish River farther downstream.
While there is not an official boat launch, boating is a common activity, as well as swimming, relaxing in the city parks, and fishing. There are over 13 species of fish in Silver Lake, including yellow perch, largemouth bass, warmouth, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead, bluegill, rainbow trout, and both black and white crappie.
Camping is available at Silver Lake from spring to mid-fall, beginning in the middle of April and ending in October.
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