About Us
Stehekin Garden House owners, Lew and Gayle Davis.
Lew and I first traveled to Stehekin on the Lady II, on our honeymoon in 1977.
We found Stehekin to be a very unique and delightful village, in the wilderness of the North Cascades at the head of Lake Chelan and the mouth of the Stehekin River. We enjoyed our tour of the valley and Rainbow Falls, and knew we would come back someday.
We did come back later, with our young children, where as a family we frequented the bakery, the Ranch, played in the lake, boated and fished. We explored and hiked into the high country and saw wildlife such as deer, marmots, black bears, elk, and even a cougar! The expansive views were breathtaking!
Lew and I knew we wanted something more permanent, so began researching properties and were lucky enough to purchase a log cabin on the lake. We have spent many summers in Stehekin and some time in the winter as well. Summers are full of life and fun, whereas winters are very quiet. Our daughter attended 8th grade at the Stehekin School, where she made life long friends and received the best year of education than she had in any previous years.
Our son found a fondness for the Stehekin life, and now resides here with his wife and three boys. Nick and Nancy own and operate Stehekin Reservations, and Stehekin Outfitters. Lew and I feel so fortunate to live so near to our family, especially our grandsons! We have another son who lives with his wife and family near us in in East Wenatchee.
After Lew retired as a Wenatchee dentist, and sold the practice, it was his dream to build a Stehekin home for our friends and family to stay when they come to visit Stehekin. Lew began building The Garden House in 2016. He built it from the foundation on up, with some help from local residents, and longtime friends, and his wife too, I might add!
It’s not easy building in such a remote place, as all materials have to be brought up on the barge, and can be very time consuming, so it has been a work in progress.
It is our sincere hope that our guests have the opportunity to enjoy and explore Stehekin as we have, and experience all of natures beauty in the wilderness.
— Gayle
