Fish Lake

Most visitors to the Stevens Pass and Leavenworth area are familiar with Lake Wenatchee, but fewer know about Fish Lake real estate options. 500 acre Fish Lake is popular with anglers and well stocked with Large-mouth Bass, German Trout, Rainbow Trout, and Yellow Perch. In the winter it is a popular ice fishing destination. In the summer, visitors can rent boats, buy tackle and bait and rent cabins from the Cove Resort. Osprey and bald eagles are both common and often seen fishing in the lake.

Fish Lake Real Estate

Most of the Fish Lake real estate for sale is in one of two neighborhoods on the south side of Fish Lake. Humphrey’s Drive and Idlewild Road are in the Idlewild Summer Homes neighborhood while Alpine Drive leads to the Alpine Tracts neighborhood. Both can be accessed from the Chiwawa River Road.

These neighborhoods both have community access to the lake, but no public access. These community docks/ boat launches allow property owners who don’t own lakefront cabins to launch their boat on the lake.

Both Fish Lake neighborhoods also have good access to snowmobile trails that head out the Chiwawa river towards the abandoned mining town of Trinity.

There are also a few homes on the north side of the lake that are accessed from a gravel Forest Service Road 6202 also known as the Fish Lake Road.

Here is a short slide show of pictures Geordie took at Fish Lake

According our friend Dave who lives on Fish Lake:

Fish Lake is a peaceful sub-alpine lake with 80% of it’s shoreline natural and owned by the Forest Service. It is 2.5 miles long and stocked with over 250,000 fish every year. The fishing is excellent, and while jet skis and skiing are not prohibited, it is very rare someone breaks the solitude enjoyed by so many people.

The lake is shallow and spring fed, measuring 50 feet at it deepest. This accounts for the tremendous variety in temperature between Summer and Winter. In Summer, the water warms into the 80s and a number of swimmers have been seen doing their morning laps from end to end. In winter the lake is covered with up to 2 feet of ice. Ice fishing, cross country skiing, snowmobiling and kite-skiing are popular winter time sports.

Lakes similar to Fish Lake would be White Fish Montana, or Priest Lake Idaho. There are a number of beautiful multi-million dollar homes surrounding the lake interspersed with smaller log cabins and vacation homes.

Located among mountains soaring to 6,000 ft with an abundance of wildlife and a tranquil setting, the four distinct seasons and the small community feeling make Fish Lake a wonderful place to live.

Here’s what another owner says about Fish Lake real estate:

Fish Lake is a hidden gem on the eastern side of the Cascades. I was initially attracted to the warmer and drier weather that can be found on this side of the mountains, but didn’t know much about the area.

What I’ve come to learn along the way is that the Fish Lake area is ideally situated for year-round recreation. My family has tried everything from hiking to biking, snowshoeing to downhill skiing.

Although the lake is primarily known for its great fishing opportunities, I primarily enjoy the fact that Fish Lake is small and quiet. In past summers, I’ve even managed to kayak the length and swim the width of the lake. On any given day, you’re likely to see several fishing boats and a few kayaks, canoes, or small sailboats.

The area is filled with friendly people – both year-round residents and second-home owners – which adds to its charm. Leavenworth is only a short drive away, but we find we rarely visit with everything that Fish Lake has to offer.
-Erika Parker Price