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Lakeside Trail

The easiest trail with direct lake access in the Chelan area. Flat, short, and right on the water, perfect for young kids, casual walkers, or anyone who just wants to reach the lake on foot. Keep in mind the trail par…

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At a Glance

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Distance

1 mile, one way

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Elevation Gain

20 ft

landscape

High Point

1,125 ft

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Activity

Hike

Best For

Lake AccessDogs AllowedNo Pass RequiredLake ViewsKid FriendlyClose to Town

Photo Highlights · November 2025

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Why Go

The newly opened Lakeside Trail, as of the fall of 2025, provides a nice pathway suitable for walking and biking along the south shore between the Woodin Avenue Bridge into the city of Chelan and the Lakeside park. Along the 1 mile trail are a couple of benches suitable for resting and enjoying views of the lake, as well as a small area with water access to Lake Chelan via a series of stone stairs. The trail parallels the road, and can be a bit noisy with traffic, however it is completely separated from the road by a median and is suitable for kids, either on foot or riding a bike. There are talks to extend the trail further along the south shore, however no concrete plans exist as of now.

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Route & Map

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Getting There

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Directions

The Lakeside trail runs between the Lakeside Park on the south shore and the Woodin Avenue Bridge in Chelan.

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Parking

There is no dedicated parking lot for the Lakeside Trail. The Chelan Riverwalk trailhead next to the Woodin Avenue Bridge has a few parking spots, and there is street parking there as well. At the other end of the trail, the Lakeside park has numerous parking spots. However, during the summer months expect parking at these locations to be hard to find. Another option is to look for parking near the Riverwalk park on Emerson Street, and then follow the riverwalk trail to the Woodin Avenue Bridge, and onto the Lakeside Trail.

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Field Notes · Personal Trip Report

New Trail, First Steps

My son and I finally tested the long-awaited Lakeside Trail after months of watching construction, and despite late-season traffic delays, the easy mile felt like a worthwhile addition to Chelan's walkable waterfront.

calendar_today November 28, 2025

straighten 3.2 miles, roundtrip · 80 ft gain

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I was looking to get out of the house for a walk with my son, and since we had to run some errands in Chelan, it made sense to check out the new Lakeside Trail. We had been watching them work on it for a while, and at the end, the delays heading out of town were quite the hassle, but I think it's worth it. Having a pedestrian and bike friendly trail is always a welcome addition in my book.

We had no problem finding parking at the Riverwalk Trailhead, although in warmer months that certainly won't be the case. Given the proximity to the Riverwalk Trail, you could certainly string together a nice long walk along both trails. After parking, we made our way over to the start of the trail, which begines where Woodin Avenue intersects with state highway 97A.

Start of the Lakeside Trail

We only encountered two other groups on the trail on the way there and back, which wasn't particularly surprising given it was November and relatively cold out. I will be curious to see how much use this trail gets in the summer. Hopefully, quite a bit, as I think it would be cool to see the trail expanded uplake. There is also talk of putting in a trail between , which my family and I would make use of quite a bit, so I really hope that plan becomes a reality.

Lakeside Trail

The trail has a median, providing separation from the road. However, highway 97A is a busy road, and it was a bit noisy, and not necessarily a peaceful walk. While there are a couple of sections where the median is much wider, it never truly separates from the road.

Halfway through the walk

Next to Chelan Bay, a new waterfront development, there is a small area with access to Lake Chelan. There isn't a ton of room with a small sandy area and stone stairs down into the water, but it's certainly nice to see an additional spot to access the water. I wasn't aware this was being put in, I wonder if it was part of getting the permitting for developing Chelan Bay?

Lake Chelan access

After checking out the lake access, we continue along until the end of the new trail at the intersection with Water Street. From here, it connects into an existing shared lane marking ("sharrow") down Water Street and West Terrance Avenue, before depositing you at the edge of the Lakeside Park.

Water Street shared lane

My son and I went into the park to check out the playground; the last time we were in Lakeside park was before we moved here over 4 years ago. Unfortunately the playground area was undergoing a complete renovation, so we walked around the park a bit before heading back up to the road.

Lakeside Park

We made our way back to the car, and headed home. I'm excited to get my son on the trail with a bike once the weather warms up a bit. We don't have a lot of flat areas around Manson that are great for family rides. While the Lakeside Trail is a bit short at a mile, we can start in Chelan and ride over the Woodin Avenue Bridge, making the roundtrip probably closer to 4 miles.