The Lake Chelan Boat Company , 1418 W Woodin Ave (tel 509/682-2224 info, tel 509/682-4584 reservations, ), runs a passenger ferry service to the head of Lake Chelan, with scheduled stops at Field's Point, Lucerne and Stehekin. Leaving from the jetty a mile west of town on Woodin Avenue, the Lady of the Lake II ferry takes four hours to cruise the 55 miles of the nation's deepest gorge, leaving daily (May-Oct) at 8.30am and returning at 6pm ($16 one-way, $25 round-trip). There's also the year-round Lady Express ($28 one-way, $44 round-trip) which reaches Lake Chelan's mountainous western tip in half the time, and the Lady Cat , a high-speed catamaran that takes you on a thrilling one-hour jaunt (June-Sept only; $56.50 one-way, $89 round-trip). These cruises feature 60- to 90-minute layovers at STEHEKIN (pop. 70), an isolated village otherwise accessible only by a Chelan Airways seaplane ($80 one-way, $120 round-trip; tel 509/682-5555, ). At Stehekin there are campsites and trailheads leading to superb hiking and backpacking in the North Cascades. Bikes and canoes are available from the North Cascades Stehekin Lodge (reserve well ahead; tel 509/682-4494, ; $100-130). For camping and hiking information (and, for some of the trails, a wilderness permit), visit the Golden West Visitor Center near the Stehekin jetty (Apr-Oct only; tel 360/856-5700, ).