| Lake Wentachee State Park is a 489-acre camping park with 12,623 feet of waterfront on glacier-fed Lake Wentachee and the Wentachee River. The park is bisected by the Wentachee River, creating two distinct areas -- South Park, with areas for camping, swimming and horseback riding; and North Park, in a less developed, forested section, a quarter-mile walk from the lake. The park is a natural wildlife area, and visitors should be aware of the presence of bears and other natural dangers. Windsurfing is also popular. As the park is in bear country, coolers must be stowed. The area receives an average of 150 inches of snow during the winter months and offers groomed sledding hills and more than 25 miles of groomed cross-country ski trails, as well as marked showshoe trails and winter camping. Privately operated concessions in the park are a Camp Store selling groceries, firewood and other supplies, guided horseback rides on park and adjacent U.S. Forest Service land and a food and beverage concession. Water sports in the park include boating, canoeing, fishing, swimming, water-skiing and windsurfing. Other activities include hiking and picnicking, in the wintertime, cross-country skiing and sledding. During their annual migration long ago, Native American tribes stopped at Lake Wentachee for a feast of clams and salmon before heading west to trade with coastal tribes. Nason Creek, called Umptanum Creek by Native Americans, is adjacent to the park. This was the location where Nason bragged that he and another Native American had killed two white men. This event was one of the noted causes of the Yakima Indian War. |
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