This was our first time taking the Lady up the lake and it was pretty cool. I had heard about a great pizza and bakery place that we were dying to try....although these places along with everything else was closed in the winter. When we booked the trip it would have been nice to know that we would be starving all day and should pack some food and beverage. I would still suggest going as it really was a cool ride up, but pack some food!
The ferry is mainly a form of transportation, really. We used it to reach Holden Village. But, it was well organized, inexpensive, and the Captain's "voiceover" of historical facts was really fun. They are the only game in town but still run a customer focused, quality operation.
Very stable, well-run boat highly recommended as the way to enjoy the lake and the long 55-mile ride to Stehekin. The boat makes several stops and if you don't mind the 3.5 hour ride, then relax, bring your camera and binoculars and enjoy great scenary, some unique little ports of call (alias docks), and occasional wildlife like deer, eagles, waterfowl, and Western Grebes. Best in summer when you can stay longer in Stehekin or get a motel or B&B up there and enjoy a town with no connecting road system. Snacks available on the boat and comfortable seats both inside and outside. Lake can get rough so plan accordingly with the seasick pills but not needed most trips. The captain announces useful bits about the ports of call and the lake's history and geology. Snacks and drinks available at a reasonable price.
This was our fourth trip on the Lady of the Lake. Even though there's not much to do in the winter, we still find it beautiful and relaxing every time we take the trip.
We found this boat ride to be a wonderful way to not only get up the lake to Holden Village and Stehekin but also a great way to simply enjoy (on a sunny warm day) the distinct beauty of the region. We love to sit in the bow of the boat but also on the broad back deck. We look forward to our next ride!
They have two boats- one is the Express and the other is the 4 hour boat. I took the 4 hour up to Stehekin and the Express back after my multi day stay. The 4 hour trip was more of a tour guide trip as the captain gave us factoids about the area as we were travelling through . The Express boat did not. I enjoyed both trips greatly. The scenery is fabulous. The crew is super friendly and helpful. I would go back just for the boat ride
My wife, daughter and I took the slow boat down to Stehekin recently, and it was one of the most extraordinarily beautiful boat trips. The scenary along the trip is magnificently sublime, just overwhelmingly gorgeous. We sat out on the deck the whole time just breathing it all in. The boat is really comfortable, with a small concessions stand which serves drinks, hot dogs, and candy bars. We took the express boat back the following day, which was an equally stunning trip.
We spent a day at Stehekin using the Chelan Seaplane to get there and returning using the Lady of the Lake boat ride. The boat ride was a very nice experience, with lots of great scenery. However, it is a little long at 4 hours. My husband was able to get a little nap inside the covered section of the boat. The boat is plenty big enough and has a section to purchase drinks and snacks. You can sit outside on the upper deck or on the lower deck forward. There are also two covered areas on each deck. There was not any rolling, or up & down motion of the boat along the entire journey, so you don't have to worry about motion sickness.
The Lady of the Lake leaves Chelan in the early morning hours and makes stops at 25 mile State Park and Holden ( a retreat area). The trip on the fast boat takes 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Within the hour you are headed northwest and are in a remote area with peaks on either side. The final destination is Steheiken, which is located in the Northern Cascades and abuts the Pacific Crest Trail. Steheiken is remote. There is limited services but one can do a few things there, such as renting a bike and riding to the falls and seeing the school house (a single room school still in use!). Leave your cellphone, bring a camera and some food and enjoy the day there. On the way back, take the slow ferry and enjoy a jewel of WA State.
The boat trip up into Lake Chelan was beautiful! If you are only spending the day in Stehekin, I would recommend the boat combination that gives you the longest time up the lake. We backpacked and when we gave the boat staff our packs for the return trip, we said that we would be returning to Chelan, not the first drop point. As the boat was pulling away from the dock at the first drop point, we saw our packs sitting on the pier! Luckily the captain turned the boat around with only a minor snarky remark against us (for something that his own staff messed up on). Otherwise the trip was very good and the time up in Stehekin was well worth the trip.