Alta Lake State Park is a public recreation area located southwest of

Pateros, Washington Pateros is a city in Okanogan County, Washington, United States. The population was 643 at the 2000 census and increased 3.7% to 667 in the 2010 census. History Pateros was originally established as Ive's Landing in around 1886 by Lee Iv ...

, at the northern end of Alta Lake, in the mountainous northwest interior of the state. The state park and adjacent lake lie beneath towering stone cliffs, formed by

glaciation A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate be ...

, that rise 1000 feet (304 m) above the valley floor, and carry on up to the top of Old Goat Mountain which sits 4200 ft (1280 m) above the park. A two-mile-long (3 km) road leading to the park, Alta Lake Road, intersects State Route 153, which runs along the

Methow River The Methow River ( ) is a tributary of the Columbia River in northern Washington in the United States. The river's watershed drains the eastern North Cascades, with a population of about 5,000 people. The Methow's watershed is characterized by re ...

. The park is managed by the

Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission The Washington State Park System is a set of state parks owned by the state government of Washington, USA. They are managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. There are over 140 parks throughout the state, including 19 mari ...

History

A jeweler and miner from Wilbur named the lake in 1900 after his daughter, Alta Heinz. In 1951, the city of Pateros gave the property to the state for the establishment of a state park. In 2014, the park was severely damaged during the Carlton Complex Fire, which forced the park to close for five weeks. Recovery efforts are on-going.

Activities and amenities

The park offers swimming, boating, fishing and sailboarding on Alta Lake, which measures about long and wide. The park has camping and picnicking facilities and of hiking trails. Golf is offered at the nearby Alta Lake Golf Course.

References

External links

Alta Lake State Park
Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
Alta Lake State Park Map
Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission {{authority control State parks of Washington (state) Parks in Okanogan County, Washington Protected areas established in 1951 1951 establishments in Washington (state)