Campground · North Cascades National Park
A two-site Ross Lake camp reached by boat or a long hike.
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
Lightning Creek Stock Camp is a small, two-site backcountry camp on the eastern shore of Ross Lake. It suits a boat trip or a long East Bank Trail itinerary, not a roadside stop: the National Park Service lists it 11.8 lake miles from Ross Dam and 10.2 miles from Hozomeen. I'd choose it when your Ross Lake trip already calls for an overnight camp.
An NPS backcountry permit is required for overnight camping here. The camp listing does not mark a boat dock, so check the landing and lake level before you commit to the trip. Ross Lake generally reaches full pool from late June through mid-September; when the reservoir drops, rocks and snags emerge along the shore. Mornings are often calmer for boat travel, while gusty winds and whitecaps can rise quickly later in the day.
NPS lists fire rings, picnic tables, vault toilets and bear-resistant food boxes at Ross Lake boat-in camps. No potable water is identified here; treat lake or stream water before drinking. Bring your own food and secure it in the provided box.
On foot, the East Bank Trail reaches the Lightning Creek camps about 16 miles from State Route 20, then turns east into the valley. NPS describes a steep climb and descent there, with a historic log trapper's cabin at the junction that is maintained but closed to visitors. Ross Lake itself is a reservoir formed by dams in the Skagit Hydroelectric Project.
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 · 0.3 mi awayA steep climb opens into the quiet Lightning Creek valley.
ChallengingDesolation Peak Trail9.4 mi · 7.5 hr · 2 mi awayA steep climb to Kerouac’s historic fire lookout
ChallengingLittle Beaver Trail32.4 mi · 22 hr · 3.9 mi awayA long valley trail climbs to a rugged backcountry pass.
Campground · 0.3 mi awayLightning Creek Boat CampFive campsites on Ross Lake, reached by boat or trail.
Campground · 0.6 mi awayLodgepole CampA remote Ross Lake camp reached by boat, with trail access.
Campground · 1 mi awayPonderosa CampA two-site boat-in camp on Ross Lake's wooded shore.
Campground · 1.2 mi awayCat Island CampFour boat-in sites on a quiet island in Ross Lake.
Campground · 1.2 mi awayDry Creek CampA four-site Ross Lake camp reached only by boat
Campground · 1.7 mi awayTen Mile Island CampThree island campsites make the boat trip part of the stay.
Campground · 2.6 mi awayDevil's Junction CampAn overnight Ross Lake camp reached by boat or trail.Sight · 2.7 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.
