Lake Chelan
Sledding

locations
equipment
web cams

Sledding in Lake Chelan

The Lake Chelan Valley can get quite cold during the winter months, and can be blanketed with snow during the heart of the winter. What better way to enjoy the cold weather and snow than sledding with the family? While there is no guarantee there will be enough snow to sled, your best bet is December and January, although it can certainly snow in the end of November and throughout February. Check the web cams and forecast to see if there is snow on the ground to allow for Lake Chelan sledding!

locations

Chelan Sledding Hill

While there are many hills in the area suitable for sledding, the Lake Chelan Municipal Golf Course just above the city of Chelan provides a convenient option, with a designated sledding hill right next to the club house. Drive on up, and you will see signs directing you towards the sledding hill. There is no fee to sled on the hill, and there is also a restaurant, Albatross, open year round near the hill perfect for adults to relax while the kids sled, or for the family ot grab a bite to eat after a fun day of sledding.

Antilon Lake Sno-Park

There is no designated sledding hill at the sno-park, however it's pretty easy to find a slope suitable for sledding. Follow the groomed Grade Creek Road up a ways to find some smaller slopes right off the road, just be aware of snowmobiles using the road. Sno-Park pass is required to park at Antilon Lake during the winter months, and there is no facility to pay for a pass at the Sno-Park.

Tubing

Echo Valley Ski & Tubing Area has six lane tubing hill, and tubing is included in the price of a ski ticket for $35 dollars, or a tubing only ticket for $15. Echo Valley provides the tubes, so no need to bring your own. There are a couple of smaller tubing lanes for younger children available as well and children 3 to 5 years of age tube free! You will be required to haul the tube up the hill, so have appropriate footwear with decent traction. The tubing hill is typically open the week before Christmas through President's Day Weekend in February, conditions permitting.

Echo Ridge

Sitting at 3,500 feet, it can be tempting to drive up to Echo Ridge for some sledding, especially when snow hasn't yet blanketed the lower slopes. However, sledding is not allowed at Echo Ridge - there is signage in the various parking lots prohibiting sledding, so unfortunately, you will have to look elsewhere to get your sledding on while in Lake Chelan.

equipment

While Lake Chelan is located on the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains and typically has colder temperatures and drier snow, you will still want to ensure you have the proper type of sled. There are no locations in the Lake Chelan area to rent sleds, although during the heart of the winter you will find them for sale at a handful of stores. Plastic sleds are often the best bet, although inflatable tubes can work as well. Avoid sleds with metal runners or blades, as the snow often isn't compact enough and the sleds may struggle to glide downhill, plus the metal runners can be a safety concern. Check out some of the most popular sleds from Amazon below :

Downhill Xtreme

One of the highest rated sleds on Amazon, kids and adults with handles for 2

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Snow Tube Sled

Top seller, 3 pack heavy duty snow tubes

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Downhill Sprinter

One of the highest rated sleds on Amazon, durable with pull rope and handles

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webCams

Use the web cams below to see the current conditions in the Lake Chelan Valley. The Echo Valley Cabin's webcam is located at 2,700 ft elevation and is very close to the tubing hill of Echo Valley. The other cams are all located at lake level, 1,100 ft elevation, at different points along the lake on both the north shore and south shore.