Stehekin

Stehekin ( stəˈhi: kən ) is a small unincorporated area in Chelan County , Washington state . It is part of the Wenatchee Metropolitan Statistical Area - East Wenatchee . It lies on the northwest shore of Lake Chelan , just south of the North Cascades National Park . Located in Lake Chelan National Recreation Area , it is administered by the National Park Service . Stehekin has around 75 permanent residents, but the population swells in summer with visitors and seasonal workers. The name "Stehekin" comes from an Indian word meaning "the way through".

View of Stehekin and the north shore of Lake Chelan.

geography

climate

Stehekin has a very unusual continental climate with a Mediterranean hot and dry summer (according to the Köppen and Geiger climate classification "Csa") and a winter with heavy snowfalls, which is a special feature. The summers are warm due to the inland location and the seasonal drought occasionally results in hot days. In contrast, the temperatures in winter fall much lower than on the coast, but are still moderate compared to areas further east in the interior of the continent.

Stehekin, Washington
Climate diagram
J F. M. A. M. J J A. S. O N D.     163   13 -28     93   15th -27     76   21st -21     41   31 -7     29   38 -4     20th   39 -1     14th   42 2     16   41 -1     25th   37 -6     88   29 -9     173   19th -18     164   17th -24 Temperature in ° C ,  precipitation in mm Source: NOAA

Monthly average temperatures and rainfall for Stehekin, Washington Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 12.78 15.00 21.11 31.11 38.33 39.44 41.67 40.56 36.67 28.89 19.44 16.67 O 28.5 Min. Temperature (° C) -27.78 -26.67 -20.56 -7.22 -3.89 -1.11 2.22 -1.11 -5.56 -8.89 -17.78 -23.89 O −11.8 Temperature (° C) -3.31 -1.00 3.92 9.11 13.56 17.47 22.22 21.75 16.83 8.31 1.11 -3.22 O 8.9 Precipitation ( mm ) 163.32 93.22 75.69 41.40 28.70 20.07 13.97 16.00 24.89 87.88 172.72 163.83 Σ 901.69 Source: NOAA

tourism

Attractions in Stehekin include the Buckner Homestead Historic District , Golden West Visitor Center , Stehekin Pastry Company , Stehekin School with a single classroom, 312 ft (95 m) high Rainbow Falls, and Harlequin Bridge . Stehekin is popular with hikers and cyclists in summer, snowshoe and skier in winter, and photographers come all year round.

There is no road access to Stehekin, although roads approximately 22 miles (35 km) in length exist. It can be reached by passenger ferry (the Lady of the Lake ), by private boats from Chelan , on foot over the Cascade Pass , by seaplanes or small planes over a grass runway that is open from June to September. The vehicles occasionally jostle at Lake Chelan.

Visitors can also reach Stehekin by horse, on foot or by plane via Stehekin State Airport (ID 6S9). The airfield is only open in July, August, and September and is rated as one of the greatest challenges in the state by the Washington State Department of Transportation . Although it is only 370 m high, there are mountains on the sides of the 800 m long runway and trees at the ends. The airfield often serves as a base for fighting forest fires; it is closed to the public during these times. The Harlequin Campground is located directly at the airfield. Trout and sockeye salmon are popular catches for anglers in Stehekin.

Much of the upper (northern) Stehekin Valley Road was undermined in 2003 by the nearby Stehekin River . This made access over the Cascade Pass very complicated, as up to ten miles (16 km) detours over the already arduous route were necessary.

Another place with a comparably small population and similar access is Holden Village , surrounded by the Glacier Peak Wilderness and about twelve miles (19 km) above Lucerne, a landing site on Lake Chelan, in the Railroad Creek Valley .

Stehekin is accessible from Washington Pass via the Pacific Crest Trail . The PCT can also be used to access Stehekin from the Suiattle River Valley . In addition, a network of hiking trails through the mountains east of Stehekin provides access to the Methow Valley area on foot and by motorbike . The Chelan Summit Trail begins near the junction with Grade Creek Road in Chelan and offers a continuous route to Stehekin. The Lake Shore Trail , which leads to Stehekin from Prince Creek , runs over 2,100 m lower on the lakeshore . The entrance to the trail can be reached with the Lady of the Lake .

Connection to the telephone network

Between March 15 and March 28, 2007, WeavTel , a telephone company based in Chelan (at the other end of the lake), began providing standard telephone service for individuals and business people. Stehekin, until then only connected via extremely expensive satellite and radio telephones, gained access to Washington's telephone network after decades of isolation. The change was not accepted by all residents, but the businessmen among them welcomed the "normal" telephone traffic. The service is currently limited to the Lower Stehekin Valley around the landing pad and structures there, but WeavTel is offering an extension to the Upper Valley via underground fiber optic cables upon request . The service was made possible through federal and state support for telephone companies in rural areas. While standard service is already in place in most areas of north central Washington, most areas outside Wenatchee benefit from the grants. An initial test call was made from the Silver Bay Resort in Stehekin.

Individual evidence

1. ^ A Northwest Pronunciation Guide . Retrieved April 18, 2013.
2. ^ ^{A b} Bill Gulick: A Traveler's History of Washington . Caxton Press, Caldwell (Idaho) 1996, ISBN 0-87004-371-4 , p. 345.
3. ↑ NowData - NOAA Online Weather Data . National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . Retrieved January 17, 2015.
4. ^ Stehekin State Airport . Retrieved July 30, 2017.
5. ^ Park Service: Phones will do little to change Stehekin's 'social fabric' , The Wenatchee World. Accessed on June 17, 2006.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.   
6. ^ A first for Stehekin ... a dial tone , The Wenatchee World. Retrieved on April 6, 2007.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.   

Web links

• Frommers Guide to Attractions at Lake Chelan

Coordinates: 48 ° 19 ′  N , 120 ° 39 ′  W