Lake Chelan National Recreation Area, National recreation area in Chelan County, Washington, US

Lake Chelan National Recreation Area covers 61,958 acres (25,074 ha) in Chelan County, Washington, including the northern end of Lake Chelan, the Stehekin Valley and the Stehekin River. The lake reaches a depth of 1,500 feet and runs more than 50 miles. The area is managed by the National Park Service as part of the North Cascades National Park Service Complex.

Lake Chelan National Recreation Area was created on 2 October 1968, covering 250.74 km² (61,958 acres) within the North Cascades National Park Service Complex. Because year-round residents already lived in Stehekin, the National Park Service made recreation the primary focus rather than preservation, and Washington State retained authority with the NPS holding proprietary rather than exclusive jurisdiction.

Stehekin takes its name from a Salish word meaning "the way through", since the valley served as a passage for people and animals into the northern Cascades. The one-room Stehekin School and the Purple Point-Stehekin Ranger Station House, both in the recreation area, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

No roads enter the recreation area; access is by passenger ferry or floatplane from Chelan at the lake's south end, or on foot via Cascade Range trails in summer. A seasonal NPS off-road bus carries hikers from the Pacific Crest Trail to Stehekin. Dispersed camping is allowed only more than half a mile from trails and one mile from campgrounds.

Lake Chelan reaches a depth of 1,500 feet, making it one of the deepest lakes in the United States, and runs more than 50 miles from the town of Chelan to Stehekin. The northern end of the lake and the Stehekin Valley lie inside the recreation area.