Campground · North Cascades National Park
A remote Ross Lake camp reached by boat, with trail access.
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
Lodgepole is a boat-in camp on the wooded shore of Ross Lake, a reservoir in North Cascades National Park. NPS lists three individual sites, group camping and trail access. Keep it in mind for a planned lake overnight; it is not a quick roadside stop.
A backcountry permit is required. From the south, there is no direct road access: a boat from Colonial Creek crosses five miles of Diablo Lake, then boats and gear must be portaged around Ross Dam on a gravel road over a mile long. A resort portage or water taxi can help with the transfer. Plan this as a real boat trip, and check current lake and access advisories before setting out.
NPS says Ross Lake boat-in camps have fire rings, picnic tables, vault toilets and bear-resistant food lockers. Bring a filter or other treatment; NPS says to treat or boil lake and stream water before drinking.
Ross Lake was formed by dams in the Skagit Hydroelectric Project. Water levels vary through the season, which can change the usable landing and expose rocks and underwater hazards. The lake stays cold, seldom topping 50°F even in summer, and gusty winds can roughen the water.
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 · 0.9 mi awayA steep climb opens into the quiet Lightning Creek valley.
ChallengingDesolation Peak Trail9.4 mi · 7.5 hr · 2.6 mi awayA steep climb to Kerouac’s historic fire lookout
ChallengingLittle Beaver Trail32.4 mi · 22 hr · 4.4 mi awayA long valley trail climbs to a rugged backcountry pass.
Campground · 0.4 mi awayPonderosa CampA two-site boat-in camp on Ross Lake's wooded shore.
Campground · 0.6 mi awayDry Creek CampA four-site Ross Lake camp reached only by boat
Campground · 0.6 mi awayLightning Creek Stock CampA two-site Ross Lake camp reached by boat or a long hike.
Campground · 0.9 mi awayLightning Creek Boat CampFive campsites on Ross Lake, reached by boat or trail.
Campground · 1.1 mi awayTen Mile Island CampThree island campsites make the boat trip part of the stay.
Campground · 1.7 mi awayCat Island CampFour boat-in sites on a quiet island in Ross Lake.
Campground · 2 mi awayDevil's Junction CampAn overnight Ross Lake camp reached by boat or trail.Sight · 3.3 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.
