MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Hiker dies swimming in Colchuck Lake

Aug 7, 2025, 1:51 PM | Updated: 1:52 pm

Colchuck Lake...

A view of Colchuck Lake in Chelan County. (Photo: Delaney Majors via Flickr Creative Commons)

(Photo: Delaney Majors via Flickr Creative Commons)

A hiker from North Carolina died while swimming in Colchuck Lake.

The man died on August 3 around 7:15 p.m., according to a news release from the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office Thursday.

The 30-year-old man was with a hiking group when he went out for a swim.

Hiker pulled from Colchuck Lake

However, another group spotted the man underwater for five minutes, not breathing, and pulled him from the water. They also sent a satellite text to 911 about the situation.

The sheriff’s office called in a helicopter crew. Meanwhile, the group that found the man performed CPR for an hour before search and rescue arrived.

The man was transported to the Leavenworth Fish Hatchery, where medics were standing by. However, the man did not survive.

Responders later met up with the rest of the hiking group.

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Hiker dies swimming in Colchuck Lake