The area is beautiful but the rangers do not care about your experience here. They have let larger groups of people be as loud as they want into the early morning hours so they can make their money rather than listen to the complaints of many different campers who were all kept up until 3am. The group that was loud all night then came through early morning and took pictures of peoples camps and license plates. If you want to camp with a larger group, you get to violate the rules and be as loud as you want and the rangers will defend your behavior. Would not recommend staying here if you want to relax at night. read more

At first and overall we were supremly impressed with this state park. How to describe? It was as you imagined state parks should be, with a friendly ranger to greet you at the gate (first time ever that there has been a person at the gate AT ALL in several years of camping) and give you directions. Tidy markers everywhere, stone borders, cut grass, and at least one set of spacious clean bathrooms. I say 'one set' because it matters which loop you set up your tent in. The upper loop is where we unknowlingly reserved and boy was that a mistake. It's dusty as all heck and jam packed with very noisy families enjoying their yearly family reunions. There is just one small bathroom facility in the upper loop. It has just ONE shower and with so many people, was just unpleasant from the get-go. Add to this that people were taking advantage of the situation by plugging into the bathroom outlets to fuel their activities at their campsites (yes runnning a HUGE extension line and propping open the bathroom doors to do so), getting very drunk and hanging about the bathroom doors, ie men in front of the women's doors, not picking up after their dogs then wiping the poo off their shoes in the bathroom, the list goes on. In contrast, walk down to the lower loop and it's quiet and orderly, RVs lined up and some tents, everyone quietly walking their dogs after dark, and right on the lake and the grassy mowed areas. Well, now we know. I should add that the ranger DID come by to tell people to quiet down and to ask if we were okay; and that there is only so much park staff can do to keep things clean when the campsites and bathroom are overrun like they were. So we went at a bad time - it was also very smokey from nearby fires. We did checkout a paddle boat from the concessions area (the couple running that are very nice) and had fun on the lake for about an hour. This campground reminded me of campgrounds of my childhood. If only I could go back to those. read more

Alta Lake State Park - Boating Near Me - Pateros, Washington

Had fun camping here at Alta Lake during a busy summer weekend. The sites were nice and well taken care of. Bathrooms too, although they sometimes ran out of toilet paper - bring a roll along! The showers are free. Swimming and floating on the lake was the highlight. There are also canoes, floats, and paddleboards to rent. There is a nice grassy area above the fenced off swimming area with a few picnic tables and is also close to the concessions stand (open 8:00 to 8:00). There is a new rock climbing playground near there, too. read more

I have been camping here for years. The park had 4 campers in the 1st loop and the rangers where so rude every time they stopped by. We were a group of 4 adults and extremely respectful. Not being loud, didn't have our car parked weird or anything. I will be finding another place for us to camp as I do not want to pay to be treated rude for just following the rules. I miss the old Ranger that was always welcoming and kind. Do better Washington State Parks! read more

Alta Lake has been a camping staple for my family since before I was born. Loop two is where you want to be. With concrete spots with electric and water for trailers, and lower primitive spots right on the lake, this loop has a grass field in the middle and easy access to the swimming area. It has two bathrooms, one above the swimming area(which is a little dirtier) and one on the other side by the tent sites. Both have quarter operated showers. Reservations for the campsites start booking out 9 months in advance, and it isn't an easy spot to get into on short notice. They do have overflow that is first come first served. Each site gets one vehicle, and it's an extra $10 a night for another. read more

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Beautiful campsite! The pictures don't show the true beauty of this site! Friendly park rangers. We were looking for a campsite to spend the night and decided to check it out. The park ranger took the time to write down all the spots that were free for us to check out. The campsites were lovely. They were all tiered so you couldn't really see others (depending on the site you choose) but you still get views of the lake and mountains. Bathrooms were super clean and lit. There is also a shower, I didn't take one but it's 3 min for 50 cents. We were here July 5th, no mosquitos during this time we went. Super comfortable temperatures to sleep in. We didn't go on the lake but plenty people did with their boats, I think there are also rentals Highly recommend this campsite if you're looking to camp on this area. $30 a night read more

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Loved visiting Alta lake... it's always fun driving there and staying either in tents or in the Alta lake golf resort which is close by to the lake read more

We stayed at the Alta Lake State Park campground this past weekend for one night during our trip around the North Cascades Highway Loop. We arrived here on Saturday evening to find the place hopping with beach goers and and groups bbqing. We quickly realized this was going to be a rowdy campground as there were people and cars everywhere. We found our campsite fairly quickly and luckily it was at the top of the loop away from other campsites. We parked the car and quickly headed down to the lake to enjoy the last hours of sunlight. The lake is a short walk from the campground and while the water was chilly it was just right on this hot July afternoon. After swimming, we picked up some firewood which is sold at the small convenience store and headed back to the site. Overall, we enjoyed our 1 night stay here and really that's probably all I could tolerate. Be sure to bring quarters for the showers and be prepared to either shower really early in the morning or wait in a long line. Also, watch out for rattlesnakes here. We only saw one during our stay and he was minding his own business, but you just need to keep an eye out while walking during nighttime. read more

Alta Lake State Park - Boating Near Me - Pateros, Washington

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My friends and I stated at Alta Lake State Park campground this past weekend and overall, it was just okay. Decent campgrounds, clean restroom facilities, nice background, dirty lake water and so many bugs. My friends and I camp every year around June. We decided to stay here because everything was already booked at Lake Chelan State Park. PROS: Background: The mountains surrounding the lake made a beautiful backdrop. The trees would have looked amazing if that recently fire hadn't taken place. Campsite: 30-40 min drive from Lake Chelan. Our campsite was right next to Alta lake so there was easy access to the water. There is a large picnic table at each campsite, it looked rather new. Bathrooms: Cleanest bathroom at any state park that I have ever been to! I was so surprised at how clean it was. There are individual bathrooms with a toilet/shower combo and there are shared bathrooms with toilet stalls. Hand soap available as well! CONS: Lake: I was so disappointed with the condition of the lake. The water was filled with algae and it was very murky. Not in any condition to swim in. With the scorching heat, we ended up driving to Lake Chelan to swim there. Bugs: Yes I know camping involves being in the woods so there are always going to be bugs. I've never had as many bug bites from all the campsites that I have been to as this one. There were so many fire ants surrounding our tent that we had to place our shoes up and away from the ground. Not only were there mosquitoes, but there was wasps, bees and fleas as well. Bring bug spray! Tips: Discover Pass required for parking. Coined shower ($.50/3 minutes), no tokens needed, just quarters. I probably wouldn't come back... read more

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We loved camping here August 2019. We camped with our kids(2,4) and our two dogs. We stayed in loop 2. Our kids and our dogs had a blast. The lake was clean for being lake water, the restrooms were clean and they have showers. The campground was family friendly. We rented two kayaks(they were a bit pricey) had a great time. The park does offer WiFi but it basically was so slow that we gave up. I would definitely camp here again. read more

Alta Lake State Park - View walking to the bathroom - Boating Near Me - Pateros, Washington

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Myself and 6 campers came to Alta Lake SP after a 5-day backpacking trip in the North Cascades and we're hoping to have a nice, relaxing evening to recharge. First, let's mention the good: The area is beautiful and the lake is amazingly refreshing during the heat of the day. Since the park is tucked back away from roads and cities you would think it is a nice peaceful place, but unfortunately that's where the bad comes in... The place was just one big party. There was loud music and loud people until roughly 2am. Nearly no one in our group got good sleep and definitely were not refreshed. The part I was most disappointed about was the lack of enforcement by the park. I did not see a single park employee after 10pm, which is when quiet hours are supposed to start. I just wish I would have known Alta Lake SP was a party campground and would gladly have driven farther to find some peace and quiet. read more

You can tell the park has been undergoing some renovation- many of the sites are undated with fresh gravel, new rocks, fresh cedar chips on the trails. Very nice clean bathrooms and hot showers!!! The store by the swim area is working and serves typical concession items. The staff is tending to the bathrooms and amenities throughout the day and my few interactions with them have been quite pleasant. Spacious sites. We will be coming back! The only thing is - be careful about some of the spots- we were given #4 for our 28" trailer and got in only after about 20-30 min after unsuccessful attempts (and we are experienced in this) and only after two neighboring guys who were a truck drivers pitched in. Was not worth taking the stars for that but it was quite the experience... read more

I chose this campground due to the reviews, especially the more recent reviewers for this year. What a joke! Not 5 stars. Here is why: We arrived late during Labor Day weekend around 10pm, no clear signs to turn into camp and posting of sign that reads LOOP 3. The campsites were close to each other, can hear everyone's conversation even one's further away. One day there were no toilet paper at all. No postings of signs for masking before entry into bathroom. 4 stalls, 2 sinks, and 1 coin operated shower up a slight hill for everyone in Loop 3 is not acceptable. Needs to plant more trees to help with privacy and noise. A group stayed up to 2:30am and was laughing and talking. So much dirt and rocks, hard to put stakes in without wind picking up those stakes. Ranger comes around telling everyone to lower the volume whether talking or music for quiet time before 10pm. However, no early warning from ranger of the fire that was starting on Monday for Oakanogan County. High winds caused us to leave early, which had saved us from what could have happened later hours. An alarm had sounded off around 4am but didnt know what it was. No one came around to let us know! We packed up around 7am and left, no reception or able to connect to wifi at campsite. It said there was wifi but you have to find an area that you can connect to. Normally don't mind unplugging but chose campground for some amenities. There was a family emergency back home and was trying desperately to get in touch with family or get messages to come through. The highlight: the lake was roped off to go swimming and float. The view of the lake is really nice but confused to see homes peppering around the state lake park. Paddleboard renter came around; paddleboard for first time! It was very nice although the jet skiis and jet boats caused quite the waves. It was still fun! People fished. Didnt get to hike, temperature was too high. They sell ice and ice cream at the concession stand. 24 hour bathroom with lots of stalls and 2 coin operated showers on the lake. 2 water fountains to rinse off. Wifi connection available on the lake. Btw: There are wasps, gnats, mosquitoes, few flies, yellow jackets at this campground. I didnt get bitten by the mosquitoes til the last night thinking there weren't any because place was very dry. read more

What can be more satisfying than enjoying a stay in this remote area away from the city. Hike up the mountain about a mile one way moderate level. We did with our 4 kids, everyone enjoyed, beautiful scenery. A gold course near by and people are friendly. Campground is clean, can be windy sometimes so bring some kites. Bikes are a plus to explore this area and enjoy the quiet ride along with the dry fresh mountain air. Closest store is about 10 - 15 min away read more

Alta Lake State Park - Boating Near Me - Pateros, Washington

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If it were possible to give this park ZERO stars I would do so. I was willing to forgive hot and smoky because of the fires in this area. But skinny little parallel parking spots on ASPHALT with no trees, and it was supposed to be ADA (the area where we were to access the tiny site was gravel, soft gravel). The coach was on blacktop, as were the 6 sites in a row beside us. NO PLACE TO TRY AND WHEEL A CHAIR. We had a reservation, the office was closed at 12:20pm when we arrived. I saw a Ranger but he would not stop. This site is no where near what an ADA site should be. It is MALICIOUS COMPLIANCE. I could go on and on, but frankly I have been in better parking spaces, and that is what is was, in a run down out of business WALMART. Unless you are into being a victim don't bother. We are leaving after half an hour and heading down the highway. We were to have stayed here today 8-17-2018. In space 48. read more

Spent the night on a bench in the park because the ground cover and my tent were overrun by mites. Disgusting experience!

Stay Away! Go somewhere else,. there are lions, bears and poisonous snakes everywhere. The Insects are like vultures. It rains continuously. Park staff are angry and aggressive rule enforcers. The water is cold in the lake and the drinking water tastes like pee. We go back every year sometimes twice a year. It is always the same. Stay away! Leave this park for those of us that know how to deal with the deplorable conditions. Tell your friends to stay away as well! Leave this park to the professionals, we will take the hit for you! do not go here.. Jedi warrior says ," this is not the Park you want. Keep driving, the park you want is not here." read more

I thoroughly enjoyed this state park! You can camp, hike, swim here almost everything but burn a fire bc there is a ban which was kind of a bummer but it didn't take away from my experience. It's maintained well and the bathrooms are clean compared to other campsites. They have showers that take quarters so bring a ton of change if you plan on washing the stink off. They also have a camp store that sells ice cream and snacks and the man who runs it is very chill!! Only complaint is that there is absolutely no privacy I can look across the campsite and see what the other campers are doing. They're also close together. read more

Alta Lake State Park - Overview of state park from the top of the hike! - Boating Near Me - Pateros, Washington

Beautiful park to enjoy with the family! There's a little food shop right above the hill if anyone gets hungry or you can just barbecue there lol. The water has a nice bright turquoise color. Just amazing! In California there's really not many lakes as beautiful as the one's they have in Washington. Just maybe Shasta lake lol. read more

Alta Lake State Park - Boating Near Me - Pateros, Washington

A friend recommended Alta Lake for camping so we booked campsite 81 (loop 2) from Wednesday, August 17 to Sunday the 21st. Tips: Bring change for using the showers (50¢ for 3 minutes). Bring shade with you. If you plan on drying your clothes, bring poles because you'll be lucky to have one tree near/on your campsite. Cons: It was hot as balls when we arrived and setting up camp with zero shade was not fun. There is no privacy from other campers and the site is mostly uneven, unusable space. A lot of reviews mentioned how hard they were trying to fix the place up after the fire... but it didn't seem like a fire hit the shoreline campsites. The beach at loop 2 isn't great, again, no tress/shade. Loop 1 looked to have a much better swimming area. We had our dog with us so no shade in 95°+ weather was not ideal. We spent one day at Lake Chelan State Park and that was MUCH nicer. Tons of trees/shade, nice beach, clear water and a snack shack. Unfortunately our dog wasn't feeling well and an emergency trip to a vet in Chealn suggested we head back home, so our trip was cut short... but I don't think any of us were bummed to get back home. Pros: The rangers were nice, didn't see them being rude to anyone, only enforcing the park rules. Despite several signs stating that a burn ban is in effect, there were fires - and we were glad the rangers shut them down. Another dude with a camper parked in an already reserved spot and refused to move. The campers returned, parked next to him and he stayed the night, but was gone before the sun rose... think he might have been too drunk to drive. The lake is small but seemed nice. A bald eagle hung out during breakfast one morning. We didn't notice an unusual amount of bugs for being in nature. The restrooms were not in bad shape, though the water is a bit funky and we didn't use it to brush our teeth. Would only return during the cooler months as no shade was the biggest bummer. read more

We've been camping here for the past 3 years in a row. It's a great place to bring kids and go fishing. They have restrooms, showers, and a small playground. We've never had a problem with partying or rowdy groups (like one person mentioned). I guess it just depends on the weekend you go and who is there, as with any campground. read more

I feel bad because I know that they have tried really hard to fix the place up after the wild fires last summer. PROS: -Beautiful scenery, despite the wildfires. You can tell it was really special before they hit. -Fun little golf course with reasonable rates - $49 for 18 on a Sunday morning with a cart. -You can tell some of the sites were really nice. Ours wasn't. -Water temperature was perfect although a little dirty. -nice beach/swimming area -It was quiet, you could wake up when you were ready, not because the neighbors were loud. CONS: -The park rangers were rude. There was a man and woman checking us in. The man was clearly in training because the woman was telling him how to do everything. The man was polite, the woman was talking to us like we were 5 year olds who have never camped before asking a simple question about a discover pass. The Rangers also gave contradictory information causing us to have to move a vehicle half way across the grounds. -Our site was mostly weeds, goat heads, dirt and uneven terrain. It was hard to find a flat spot for our tent. There were also no trees on our site. Thankfully we brought canopy shades. Some of the spots looked like the complete opposite of ours, maybe those folks will write a review. -The Lake is TINY. It looked small on Google earth, but it was even smaller in person. I'm shocked they allow motor boats on the lake. Jetskis are fine, but if there are 5 boats on the lake, it would be way too crowded. You can have the boat up on a plane for about 30 seconds before you have to turn or run into a wall. You could drive across the widest part of the lake in less than a minute at 35 mph. -The lake has been lowered a lot from where it used to be. Because of that, the boat launches are the absolute worst I've ever used. No contest. The one side requires you to drive so far down that you run out of concrete and need 4L to get out. The other side had an enormous crater at the bottom that made the trailer uneven and hard to get the boat straight on the trailer. This could be an easy fix. This review could be higher if we had a different spot and a polite ranger check us in. Probably not going back. read more

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Alta Lake. I grew up going there every summer with my family. The park is absolutely beautiful and it breaks my heart that the fires have ripped through this wonderful place. read more

I haven't been to Alta Lake since I was a small child. What a surprising gem it is! The fire a few years back completed destroyed a few houses here, but we did not notice much evidence on our visit. There are quite a few homes built on the lake and in the area. A golf course, which I am told will cater to large groups. There is a small hotel located on the course, not sure what the rooms look like. But the lake is absolutely beautiful and was empty of any boats on our visit. It is a motorized lake, quite small, but I would think it would be a fun location to spend the day on a boat. It looks protected from the wind by the high ridge and would be a great ski lake. The campground looked decent. I have no idea of the costs for staying or showering, but it is very spacious. If anyone is looking for a quiet campground or a unique place to stay, with a lake and golf course I would highly recommend Alta. Perfect for swimming, water activities, hiking, golfing, etc. and there is a business down the road to go horseback riding. Its a little farther out from services, but the Sweet River Bakery in Pateros is worth the drive. read more

Alta Lake is a great place. You can rent a jet ski,boat and you can swim in a great lake! P.S be careful if you're going in the summer the sand is really HOT! read more

Stayed for Friday & Saturday night and couldn't wait to get out of there come Sunday morning. We were in a site with the ranger saying there was room for our boats on trailers (3) and trucks (3) but it could be a little tight. We got to our site and not even one truck with a trailer unattached could not fight. So we are trying to figure out Plan B and we end up getting the camp host site right next to the bathroom. It was long and probably the only reason I gave it more then 1 star. No fault of the ranger, the neighbor kept walking thru our campsite since we were located near the restroom, the ranger told the guest not to do it, they kept on and it was very frustrating. My husband and I slept in our boat, yes on the trailer, and they were walking by and staring at us. It was extremely creepy. The water will give you swim itch. If you swim at the lake immediately take a shower. No campsites on the lake. Showers are 3 minutes for 50 cents. It was pure dust. Yes I know they had a fire last year so I wont commentate on the scenery since that isn't fair. No bonfires, state rule no fault to them. I'm thinking if you have a family and want to sit around and stare at each other I guess that would work for you. For me and my family it was miserable to just sit around and not enjoy the activities and we wont return. read more

We attempted to camp here last weekend and it was not the best experience I have encountered. The campsites are small and clumped really close together. We had 12 people between two campsites, so there was bound to be a little noise from us. The park ranger came over and told us to quiet down before quiet hours even began. They continued to come by and harass us all evening until finally they told us that we were not allowed to return the following evening to camp there. The people around us had not complained; it was just the park rangers targeting us because we were a large group. Thankfully the staff refunded our money we paid to camp there for the weekend since we had reservations for these campsites 6 months and paid in advance. If you plan on camping here, only do so if you have a small group or plan on being super quiet from 8PM on. Also, the lake this is on is tiny and the bathrooms were not at all adequate for the size of the campsite. I would not recommend this place nor would I ever return here to camp. read more