Alta Lake State Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alta Lake State Park
Alta Lake State Park Location in Washington (state)
Location	Okanogan County, Washington, United States
Nearest city	Pateros, Washington
Area	181 acres (73 ha)
Elevation	1,348 ft (411 m)
Designation	Washington state park
Established	1951
Administrator	Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
Website	Alta Lake State Park
Alta Lake Alta Lake Location in Washington (state) Location Okanogan County, Washington Coordinates 48°01′17″N 119°56′13″W / 48.0214°N 119.937°W / 48.0214; -119.937 (Alta Lake) Primary inflows None Primary outflows None Basin countries United States Max. length 2 miles (3.2 km) Max. width .5 miles (0.80 km) Surface area 219.6 acres (88.9 ha) Max. depth 79 feet (24 m) Water volume 7,230 acre-feet (8,920,000 m3) Surface elevation 1,171 feet (357 m) Islands None Settlements State park

Alta Lake State Park is a public recreation area located two miles (3.2 km) southwest of Pateros, Washington, at the northern end of 220-acre (89 ha) Alta Lake, in the mountainous northwest interior of the state. The 181-acre (73 ha) 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.

History

A 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 amenities

The park offers swimming, boating, fishing and sailboarding on Alta Lake, which measures about 2 miles (3.2 km) long and .5 miles (0.80 km) wide. The park has camping and picnicking facilities and 2 miles (3.2 km) of hiking trails. Golf is offered at the nearby Alta Lake Golf Course.