Lake Chelan reaches deep into Washington's North Cascades, the third-deepest lake in the United States by the Park Service's count, and at its far end is Stehekin: a small community, a national park landing and a valley road that connects to nothing outside itself. The National Park Service is plain about it: no outside roads lead into Stehekin. People arrive on foot over the mountain passes, by private boat or floatplane, or, far more often, on one of the passenger boats that work the lake.
Two operators do that work. The Stehekin Ferry runs a catamaran between Stehekin and Field's Point Landing, the last point on the south shore a car can reach, in about 90 minutes. The Lake Chelan Boat Company, the older of the two and best known for the Lady of the Lake, starts its boats at its own dock in the town of Chelan and calls at Field's Point on the way; its Lady Express takes about two and a half hours to the head of the lake. The two brands now share a reservation office, a phone number and a booking system, but they keep separate boats, docks and timetables.
The name tells you what the valley has always been. The park translates Stehekin from Salishan languages as "the way through" or "turning around place", and for most of its visitors it is still a place you reach by water and leave the same way.
One boat a day each way, timed from the Stehekin end
Stehekin Ferry, daily through October 10
| From Field's Point Landing | From Stehekin Landing |
|---|---|
| 13:00 | 10:40 |
Stehekin Ferry, Tuesday and Wednesday, late October to April 30
| From Field's Point Landing | From Stehekin Landing |
|---|---|
| 13:00 | 10:40 |
Stehekin Ferry, Thursday, late October to April 30
| From Field's Point Landing | From Stehekin Landing |
|---|---|
| 14:30 | 08:00 |
Departure times confirmed on September 25, 2026 in both the operators' printed schedules and their online booking calendar; the two disagree on some changeover dates, set out below Stehekin Ferry — Schedules · 2026-09-25
One-way tickets, bought before you drive up the lake
Both companies sell one-way tickets only; coming back means buying a second one, so staying a night or a week in Stehekin costs the same as coming back the same day. Prices do not change with where you board or get off, so a ticket from Field's Point costs what one from Chelan does on the same boat.
Buy ahead. Both operators say a reservation is the only way to guarantee a seat, and the boats carry a fixed number of bikes, pets and kayaks per trip. The table shows only the fares that match in the companies' own pages and in their booking system; the others are explained below it.
| Adult, 12 and over | $ 39 |
| Adult, 12 to 64 | $ 43 |
| Standard bicycle | $ 20 |
One-way fares shown by both operators and in their booking system on September 25, 2026 Stehekin Ferry — Book Your Trip · 2026-09-25
A gated lot at Field's Point, a public dock at Stehekin
The mainland choice comes down to driving time against boat time. Starting at Field's Point means a shorter ride on the water and about half an hour more on the road; the Chelan dock is a mile from downtown and on a bus route.
Field's Point Landing
Field's Point is the last place on the lake a car can reach, about 17 miles up from Chelan on the south shore and roughly half an hour's drive from town. Coming from Wenatchee on US 97A, turn left at mile marker 223 onto Navarre Coulee Road (Highway 971), follow it nine miles to the stop sign, then turn left along South Lakeshore Road for seven miles.
The lot is gated and staffed during the day, and parking is charged by the day and the night. There is a loading zone at lake level for luggage, public restrooms and picnic tables. No bus serves the landing, and the Stehekin Ferry asks passengers to arrive 30 to 40 minutes before the boat to unload, park and pay.
Stehekin Landing
The boats tie up at the public dock at Stehekin Landing, the small cluster of park and private buildings where the Stehekin Valley Road begins. From here a shuttle runs up the valley; there is no cell reception, no ATM, and only limited food services, none at all in the off-season.
The landing is still recovering from the flood of December 10, 2025, the second largest recorded on the Stehekin River, which buried the wastewater plant's drain field and cut Company Creek Road. The park reports that some services at the landing remain limited and that the North Cascades Lodge at Stehekin did not open for the 2026 summer season.
Up Lake Chelan into the North Cascades
From Field's Point the boats run northwest up the narrow upper lake, with Prince Creek (the trailhead for the Lakeshore Trail) and Lucerne, the landing for Holden Village, as the stops on the way. The mountains close in steadily until the lake ends at Stehekin, inside Lake Chelan National Recreation Area.
Packing for a place the boat has to supply
- Stack-friendly luggage
Crews hand-load everything. Lidded totes, coolers and airline bags travel best; open grocery bags and boots tied to packs are the problem items.
- Bikes by reservation
The Lady Express takes standard bikes for $20 one way, with a daily limit. The Lady Liberty takes no bikes or pets at all.
- Plan offline
Stehekin has no cell service and no ATM. Some businesses take cards, some do not.
- Check the smoke
The Stehekin Ferry site shows a live air-quality reading; on September 25, 2026 it read unhealthy to hazardous from wildfire smoke.
- Book flag stops early
Lucerne and Prince Creek pickups must be arranged before 9 a.m. for downlake trips and noon for uplake ones.
- Parking is not the same at both docks
Chelan offers free day parking and a $12-a-night lot. Field's Point charges for both day and overnight stays.
Two companies, one lake, and a monopoly that ended in 2020
For years, Stehekin had one scheduled boat company, and every sailing left Chelan in the morning and came back in the afternoon. That suited day-trippers, but not the people who live at the head of the lake and needed the opposite: a boat into town in the morning and home by mid-afternoon. The Stehekin Ferry tells its own story as the end of what it calls a state-mandated monopoly on Lake Chelan passenger service: the Courtney family spent years seeking a second operating certificate from the regulator, and the first Stehekin Ferry boat carried passengers in 2020. Its schedule still runs in reverse, starting each day from Stehekin.
The Lake Chelan Boat Company keeps the classic runs: the Lady of the Lake, on the lake since 1976 and licensed for up to 285 passengers, sails only on summer Sundays now and stops almost anywhere on request; the Lady Express works all year; and the 40-seat Lady Liberty, fitted with a hydrofoil wing in 2021, is the fast summer boat. The company's schedule notes that the Stehekin Ferry's newer catamaran, the Stehekin Clipper, is covering some of those runs this season, so the boat at the dock may not be the one named on the ticket. For another community with no road and a single company's boats, see the mailboat to Isle au Haut in Maine; for a Washington crossing that is the opposite in every way, try the free state ferry at Keller on Lake Roosevelt.
From the 1976 Lady of the Lake to the new Stehekin Clipper
What first-time Stehekin travelers ask before booking
Can you drive to Stehekin at all?
No. The National Park Service states that no outside roads lead into Stehekin and it is not possible to drive into Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. You can hike in, fly or bring your own boat, but most people take a passenger boat from Field's Point or Chelan.
Which boat should I take, the Stehekin Ferry or the Lady Express?
It depends on where you want to leave the car. The Stehekin Ferry leaves Field's Point at 13:00 and takes about 90 minutes; its fare is $39. The Lady Express starts from the Chelan dock at 09:30, takes about 2.5 hours and costs $43 for an adult.
Is a round-trip ticket available?
No, there are no round-trip tickets. Both companies sell one-way fares, and a return is simply a second one-way ticket for the day you come back.
Why does the Stehekin Ferry leave Stehekin in the morning?
Because it was set up for people who live there. Its boat leaves Stehekin at 10:40, reaches Field's Point around midday and heads back up the lake at 13:00, so residents can get to the mainland and home in daylight.
What happens in October?
The service changes over. The booking calendar shows the Lady Liberty and the daily Stehekin Ferry ending on October 10, the Lady Express running daily from October 11 to 19, and a Tuesday-to-Thursday Stehekin Ferry from October 20. The printed schedules give slightly later dates, so check the booking calendar for your day.
Can I bring my bike or my dog?
Standard bikes ride the Lady Express for $20 each way, and pets travel in a carrier on the outer deck for an extra fee. The Lady Liberty takes neither, and both are limited per trip, so reserve them with your ticket.
Where can the car stay overnight?
At Chelan, in the fenced lot across the highway from the boat company dock, for $12 a night with a pass from the office. At Field's Point the lot is gated and charges for both day and overnight parking.
Is Stehekin open after last winter's flood?
Yes, with limits. The National Park Service says visitor and recreation opportunities continue in the Stehekin Valley, but some services at the landing are reduced after the December 2025 flood, and the North Cascades Lodge at Stehekin was closed for the 2026 summer season.