Campground · North Cascades National Park
A quiet boat-in base on Ross Lake.
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 tourMore stories near here in the app
“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
Little Beaver is a remote boat-in camp on Ross Lake, with five sites, group camping and trail access. It suits a trip built around quiet time on the water, not a quick roadside stop. Camping requires a backcountry permit.
The camp sits among the coves and bays of Ross Lake, a reservoir formed by dams in the Skagit Hydroelectric Project. The lake usually reaches full pool from July through September, and docks can be unusable when the water is low, so check conditions before setting out. Treat this as a self-contained backcountry stay: the available site information doesn’t confirm potable water or food service.
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
ChallengingLittle Beaver Trail32.4 mi · 22 hr · 0.1 mi awayA long valley trail climbs to a rugged backcountry pass.
ChallengingDesolation Peak Trail9.4 mi · 7.5 hr · 1.9 mi awayA steep climb to Kerouac’s historic fire lookout
ChallengingLightning Creek Trail to Willow Lake8 mi · 6 hr · 3.5 mi awayA steep climb opens into the quiet Lightning Creek valley.
ModerateHozomeen Lake Trail7.2 mi · 4 hr · 4.9 mi awayA remote lake walk beneath peaks named for their sharp edges.
Campground · 1.4 mi awayBoundary Bay CampA boat-in night beside Ross Lake's wooded shore.Sight · 2.6 mi awayDesolation Peak LookoutKerouac’s 1956 lookout crowns a steep climb above Ross Lake.
Campground · 2.7 mi awayCat Island CampFour boat-in sites on a quiet island in Ross Lake.
Campground · 3.5 mi awayLightning Creek Boat CampFive campsites on Ross Lake, reached by boat or trail.
Campground · 3.8 mi awayLightning Creek Stock CampA two-site Ross Lake camp reached by boat or a long hike.
Campground · 4 mi awaySilver Creek CampA remote dockside camp for a night on Ross Lake.
Campground · 4.4 mi awayLodgepole CampA remote Ross Lake camp reached by boat, with trail access.
Campground · 4.6 mi awayPonderosa CampA two-site boat-in camp on Ross Lake's wooded shore.Parkwolf’s North Cascades ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
