Alta Lake State Park

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Alta Lake State Park is a publicly owned recreation area located southwest of Pateros, Washington, at the northern end of 220acre Alta Lake, in the mountainous northwest interior of the state. The 181acre state park and adjacent lake lie beneath towering stone cliffs, formed by glaciation, that rise 1000 feet (304 m) above the valley floor, and carry on up to the top of Old Goat Mountain which sits 4200 ft (1280 m) above the park. A two-mile-long (3 km) road leading to the park, Alta Lake Road, intersects State Route 153, which runs along the Methow River. The park is managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.HistoryA jeweler and miner from Wilbur named the lake in 1900 after his daughter, Alta Heinz. In 1951, the city of Pateros gave the property to the state for the establishment of a state park. In 2014, the park was severely damaged during the Carlton Complex Fire, which forced the park to close for five weeks. Recovery efforts are on-going.Activities and amenitiesThe park offers swimming, boating, fishing and sailboarding on Alta Lake, which measures about long and wide. The park has camping and picnicking facilities and of hiking trails. Golf is offered at the nearby Alta Lake Golf Course.