Campground · North Cascades National Park
A four-site Ross Lake camp reached only by boat
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
Dry Creek Camp is a four-site, boat-in backcountry campground on Ross Lake in the North Cascades National Park Service Complex. It is an overnight destination, not a roadside stop; a backcountry permit is required for Ross Lake boat-in camps.
Dry Creek has no listed dock or trail access. From the south, the route from Colonial Creek involves a five-mile paddle across Diablo Lake and a portage around Ross Dam; Ross Lake Resort offers portage and water-taxi services. From the north, a gravel road from Hope, British Columbia, reaches Ross Lake. Dry Creek is 10.4 miles from Ross Dam and 11.6 miles from Hozomeen. Lake levels fluctuate, so check current elevations and access before you set out.
Ross Lake boat-in camps have vault toilets, picnic tables, fire rings, and bear-resistant food boxes. No potable-water source or food service is listed for Dry Creek, so plan for an unserviced overnight.
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 · 1.5 mi awayA steep climb opens into the quiet Lightning Creek valley.
ChallengingDesolation Peak Trail9.4 mi · 7.5 hr · 3 mi awayA steep climb to Kerouac’s historic fire lookout
ChallengingLittle Beaver Trail32.4 mi · 22 hr · 4.9 mi awayA long valley trail climbs to a rugged backcountry pass.
Campground · 0.2 mi awayPonderosa CampA two-site boat-in camp on Ross Lake's wooded shore.
Campground · 0.5 mi awayTen Mile Island CampThree island campsites make the boat trip part of the stay.
Campground · 0.6 mi awayLodgepole CampA remote Ross Lake camp reached by boat, with trail access.
Campground · 1.2 mi awayLightning Creek Stock CampA two-site Ross Lake camp reached by boat or a long hike.
Campground · 1.4 mi awayDevil's Junction CampAn overnight Ross Lake camp reached by boat or trail.
Campground · 1.5 mi awayLightning Creek Boat CampFive campsites on Ross Lake, reached by boat or trail.
Campground · 2.1 mi awayCat Island CampFour boat-in sites on a quiet island in Ross Lake.Sight · 3.8 mi awayDesolation Peak LookoutKerouac’s 1956 lookout crowns a steep climb above Ross Lake.Parkwolf’s North Cascades ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
