Kite spot on water · United States
Lake Wenatchee State Park
Practical notes from riders: launch, parking and what to watch out for.
- Nearest airport
- EATPangborn Memorial Airport, 60 km
Forecast and webcams
Before you go
Forecasts often disagree. When Windguru, ALADIN and Windy agree, it is worth going.
Webcams nearby
Live images from cameras within 25 km of the spot. Click to open the camera on Windy.com.
Webcams: Windy.com
Tips for this spot
- Offshore wind carries you away from land. Do not ride it without a rescue boat.
- When a storm is coming, get out of the water and land the kite at once. Gusts before a storm are violent and a kite overhead is the highest point around.
- New spot: ask locals about shallows, currents and where people launch.
On site
Wind and riding area
Pparking
From riders
What you need to know
Watch out for
- Direct onshore wind hits the tree line, creating heavy turbulence and light wind by the beach; little room for tacking upwind.community map
- Lots of beachgoers who do not move out of the way and are unaware of the risk.community map
- Deadheads (submerged logs) in the water, not all of which drift downwind.community map
Where to launch
- Plenty of space to lay out lines and launch; most people set up at the south end of the beach away from swimmers.community map
- Beginners launch at the south end and body drag 20-30 yards off the beach into cleaner wind.community map
Parking
- Parking lot by the park headquarters building.community map
- Car park about 650 m from the spot, paid.OpenStreetMap
Rules and respect
- Stay out of the swim zone and be considerate of beachgoers to avoid getting the spot banned; a ranger watches from a window by the parking lot.community map
Conditions
- Works on thermal and frontal winds. Direct onshore wind; tends to be light near the beach as it lifts over the downwind hills. The south end is shallow for about 5 yards from shore.community map
In riders' own words
- „my opinion is its not a beginner friendly area.“
- „There is plenty of room to lay out lines and get your kite in the air. ... There is not much distance to tack back and forth to work up wind.“
- „There is plenty of room to lay out lines and get your kite in the air. Most people layout on the south end of the beach away from the swimmers.“
- „Most beginners start at the south end and body drag out to cleaner air about 20 ~30 yards away from the beach.“
- „The house next to the parking lot is the parks department“
- „OpenStreetMap way/440973119“
- „The only difficulty is that the wind is straight on shore and hits up against a bank of trees that creates a lot of turbulent air.“
- „Hazards are dead heads in the water and not all of them flow with the wind.“
- „There are allot of beach goers and they don’t get out of your way. They have no idea of the potential danger.“
- „Just wanted to add Stay out of the swimming area ... Please if you go here be careful of others, just like every beach we would hate to see it get closed.“
- „Good on both Thermal and Frontal. ... The South end is shallow for about 5 yards out. On shore wind.“
Photos from the area
Steve Andersen from Seattle, WA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Steve Andersen from Seattle, WA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Steve Andersen from Seattle, WA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Wind by month
When it blows
Average wind speed 10 m above ground from NASA POWER (MERRA-2, 2001–2025). The model works on a grid of roughly 50 km; on hills and by the water the wind is often stronger and gustier.
windiest monthsaverage wind in knots, NASA POWER; below the month in m/s
Values by month
| January | 3.5 knots · 1.8 m/s |
|---|---|
| February | 3.6 knots · 1.9 m/s |
| March | 3.7 knots · 1.9 m/s |
| April | 3.6 knots · 1.9 m/s |
| May | 3.6 knots · 1.9 m/s |
| June | 3.8 knots · 2.0 m/s |
| July | 3.7 knots · 1.9 m/s |
| August | 3.5 knots · 1.8 m/s |
| September | 3.3 knots · 1.7 m/s |
| October | 3.3 knots · 1.7 m/s |
| November | 3.4 knots · 1.7 m/s |
| December | 3.4 knots · 1.7 m/s |
Nearby
More spots within 60 km
Been there?
Add what you know
Parking changed, a new ban, a new obstacle in the water? Tell us, we will check it and update the page.
Sources: Community map “USA NW Kite Spots” (Google My Maps). Wind NASA POWER, airports OurAirports, photos Wikimedia Commons (author and licence with each photo). As of 17 October 2026. These are riders' reports; local rules change, so look around before you ride and follow local signs.
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See the safariThe safari is organised by Mohamed of Paradise Kitesurf Red Sea. I've known him for years and we work together.