Campground · North Cascades National Park
Eight simple sites, a lakeside launch, and a night by the water.
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 tourRecorded for this place
Diablo and the Sourdough Mountain Climb“Diablo is coming up, where the Sourdough Mountain hike begins. Save that climb for a full mountain day: ten point four miles round trip, about nine hours, and nearly five thousand feet of climbing.”
Plays as you drive up to Gorge Lake Campground in the Parkwolf North Cascades Tour Guide.
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“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
Gorge Lake Campground is a small, primitive drive-in camp with eight sites on a steep bank above Gorge Lake, just north of State Route 20 near Diablo. The lake view and quick access to the water are the draw, but bring your drinking water: there is no potable water here.
A small boat ramp and dock sit at the lower end of the campground, handy for canoes, kayaks, paddleboards and small powerboats. The launch is not suited to large powerboats. Fishing is allowed with a Washington State license, and hiking, birding and wildlife watching are nearby.
Each site has a picnic table, fire ring and bear locker; some have tent pads. Vault toilets are available, but there are no showers or store. Black bears use the campground and nearby trails, so keep food and scented items in the lockers or a hard-sided vehicle. Gathered firewood is not allowed. There are no listed accessible campsites, though the boat ramp is separately described as accessible.
The campground is north of SR 20 at milepost 126, about 20 miles east of Marblemount. Summer camping uses reservations; winter is first-come, first-served and has no water or trash service. It sits within a hydroelectric project with a high-water warning system, and Fraser Valley outflow can bring powerful winds to this lightly wooded bank.
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
ModerateStetattle Creek Trail6 mi · 3.5 hr · 0.1 mi awayA rocky creekside start opens to a mossy forest traverse.
ChallengingSourdough Mountain Trail10.4 mi · 9 hr · 0.3 mi awayNearly 5,000 feet of climbing for the Diablo Lake panorama.
ModeratePyramid Lake Trail4.2 mi · 2.8 hr · 0.5 mi awaySteep miles to a tiny lake threaded with floating logs.
ModerateDiablo Lake Trail7.6 mi · 4.5 hr · 1.5 mi awayA long forest climb earns a high bridge over Diablo Lake
ModerateSourdough Creek Trail3.5 mi · 2.8 hr · 1.6 mi awayA forest path to Sourdough Creek Falls, with a rocky finish.
EasyDeer Creek Loop0.3 mi · 15 min · 1.6 mi awayA quarter-mile loop winds beside Deer Creek Shelter.
EasyGorge Overlook Trail0.5 mi · 45 min · 2.9 mi awayA short loop with a lake, a dam and a waterfall view.
ModerateThunder Knob Trail3.8 mi · 2.5 hr · 2.9 mi awayTake the steady climb for broad views over turquoise Diablo Lake.
Sight · 0.9 mi awayDiablo DamA public road crosses the 389-foot dam beside Diablo Lake.
Sight · 1.6 mi awayNorth Cascades Environmental Learning CenterBook a program for lakeside learning, meals and trail days.
Campground · 2.3 mi awayThunder Point CampA quiet three-site boat-in camp on Diablo Lake.
Campground · 2.3 mi awayHidden Cove CampA single-site camp with a sheltered dock, reached only by boat.
Campground · 2.4 mi awayBuster Brown CampA lake camp reached by water, with its own boat dock.
Sight · 2.5 mi awayDiablo Lake OverlookA quick roadside view of glacial turquoise beneath the Cascades.
Sight · 2.7 mi awaySourdough Mountain LookoutA historic fire lookout crowns a demanding climb above Diablo Lake.
Sight · 2.8 mi awayGorge Creek FallsA 242-foot cascade drops through a gorge beside SR 20.Parkwolf’s North Cascades ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
