Lake Chelan is a long, glacially-carved lake in the central part of the North Cascades mountain range in northwestern Washington State. Via the short Chelan River, it is tributary to the Okanogan River, a tributary of the Columbia. Access to points along the lake has been primarily by water, and in the early 1900s, this was done by steamboat. Located at the head of the lake is Stehekin, a resort community.