Domke Lake

The Domke Lake trail is a great day hike with family, provided you are staying in Holden Village (in which case you can bus down to the trailhead), or docked at boat launch in Lucerne, at the north end of Lake Chelan. To get to the trailhead, either take the Lady of the Lake ferry or your own boat to Lucerne and dock at Refrigerator Harbor. Once there, hike along the Railroad Creek trail east for about one quarter mile to the Domke Lake trailhead.

You will be able to see Chelan, the third deepest lake in America, from several lookout points along the way. This trail is also great for beginning backpackers, as it is only 3.5 miles to your destination with a moderate slope. 

Formerly, a group of cabins stood at the point where the trail meets the lake, but they were lost to the 2015 Wolverine Creek fire. Sid Burns, the longtime caretaker of this resort, can still be found in the area.

There are several camp sites at Domke Lake, but they are all currently closed to camping due to fire damage.

If you have the opportunity to stay the night, you will hear the buzz of the forest and see many forest critters such as, chipmunks, bats, owls, crickets, frogs and other birds. Large predators like bears and cougars have not been spotted in quite some time but it is not to say that they haven't been seen before. Same goes for the occasional raccoon or skunk.

Note: Alternative routes to access Domke Lake include hiking to the lake via Emerald Park (7.6 miles one-way) or beginning on foot from Holden Village (13.5 miles one-way).