how deep is lake chelan

Lake Chelan is about 1,486 feet (453 meters) deep at its deepest point, making it one of the deepest lakes in the United States and the world.

Quick Scoop

• Maximum depth: About 1,486 ft (453 m).

• How that compares: Commonly listed as the 3rd deepest lake in the U.S., after Crater Lake and Lake Tahoe.

• Below sea level: The deepest parts of the lake’s bottom lie hundreds of feet below sea level (roughly 380–430 ft, depending on the source).

A Bit More Detail

Lake Chelan is a long, narrow, glacially carved lake in north-central Washington, stretching about 50 miles while remaining only about 1–2 miles wide. This shape leads to very steep underwater walls that drop quickly from the shoreline into deep water.

Geologists attribute the lake’s extreme depth to powerful ice that carved the basin during past glaciations, later dammed and slightly raised by human- made structures near the town of Chelan. Because of this overdeepening, most of the lake’s volume is concentrated in its upper (Lucerne) basin, where the maximum depth is found.

TL;DR: If you are wondering “how deep is Lake Chelan,” the widely accepted figure is about 1,486 feet at its deepest point, placing it among the deepest lakes in the country.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.