Campground · North Cascades National Park
An overnight Ross Lake camp reached by boat or trail.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
North Cascades Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for North Cascades National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the North Cascades audio tour“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Devil's Junction is a single-site backcountry camp on the wooded shore of Ross Lake, 9 miles from Ross Dam and 13 miles from Hozomeen. Its dock and trail access make it a worthwhile overnight stop if you're already heading into the lake's backcountry; it isn't a drive-in campground.
All overnight stays at Ross Lake boat-in camps require a backcountry permit. From the south, getting onto Ross Lake involves crossing Diablo Lake and portaging around Ross Dam; the north end is reached by a gravel road from Hope, British Columbia. The Devil's Junction dock needs the lake to be at least 1,594 feet high to use. Ross Lake is generally at full pool from July through September, so check current lake levels before setting out.
The site has a picnic table, fire ring, vault toilet and bear-resistant food box, as do the other Ross Lake boat-in camps. Bring meals and drinking water or a way to treat lake water before drinking. The lake is often windy and stays cold even in summer, so plan accordingly if you're paddling.
Ross Lake was formed by dams in the Skagit Hydroelectric Project. Its long shoreline of coves, islands and bays gives Devil's Junction a waterside setting, with the dock and landing as the practical focus of the stop.
Wildlife
101 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
70 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
20 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
77 sightingsSooty GrouseMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
23 sightingsWhite-tailed PtarmiganMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
75 sightingsWestern ToadMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across North Cascades. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingLightning Creek Trail to Willow Lake8 mi · 6 hr · 2.9 mi awayA steep climb opens into the quiet Lightning Creek valley.
ChallengingDesolation Peak Trail9.4 mi · 7.5 hr · 4.3 mi awayA steep climb to Kerouac’s historic fire lookout
Campground · 1 mi awayTen Mile Island CampThree island campsites make the boat trip part of the stay.
Campground · 1.4 mi awayDry Creek CampA four-site Ross Lake camp reached only by boat
Campground · 1.6 mi awayPonderosa CampA two-site boat-in camp on Ross Lake's wooded shore.
Campground · 2 mi awayLodgepole CampA remote Ross Lake camp reached by boat, with trail access.
Campground · 2.6 mi awayLightning Creek Stock CampA two-site Ross Lake camp reached by boat or a long hike.
Campground · 2.6 mi awayRainbow Point CampThree lakeside tent sites, reached by boat or trail.
Campground · 2.9 mi awayLightning Creek Boat CampFive campsites on Ross Lake, reached by boat or trail.
Campground · 3.4 mi awayMay Creek Boat CampA single boat-in site with three-way views from a low bluff.Parkwolf’s North Cascades ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
