Alta Lake State Park in north-central Washington occupies 181 acres beside Alta Lake near Pateros, in a mountain valley along the Methow River. The park’s most striking feature is its setting beneath steep stone cliffs carved by glaciation, rising about 1,000 feet above the valley floor, with slopes extending toward Old Goat Mountain. The two-mile-long lake creates a broad expanse of water enclosed by dramatic rock walls. Named in 1900 for Alta Heinz, the lake became part of a state park after Pateros transferred the property to the state in 1951. Despite major damage from the Carlton Complex Fire in 2014, the park remains a center for water recreation, camping, picnicking, and hiking.