Campground · North Cascades National Park
A single boat-in site with three-way views from a low bluff.
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.
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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
May Creek is a one-site boat-in camp on Ross Lake in the North Cascades National Park Complex. It has a dock and trail access, and a low bluff opens views south, west and north. The camp is five miles from Ross Dam and 17 miles from Hozomeen. Overnight stays require a backcountry permit. There is no road access, so this suits a planned boat trip rather than a quick stop.
From the south, launch at Colonial Creek on Diablo Lake, paddle about five miles to the lake's end, then portage around Ross Dam on a roughly one-mile gravel road with steep switchbacks. Ross Lake Resort offers portage service and water taxis. From the north, a gravel road from Hope, British Columbia, reaches Hozomeen; its boat ramps are normally usable from mid-June through September. Wind can rise quickly on the lake, and mornings are often calmer. Water levels fluctuate and can leave docks unusable, so check current lake and access conditions before setting out.
Ross Lake's boat-in camps have picnic tables, fire rings, vault toilets and bear-resistant food boxes; May Creek's listed site has a dock. No potable water source is identified, so bring drinking water or treat water from the lake or nearby streams. Keep food in the bear box: black and grizzly bears, mountain lions and wolves use the shoreline, and deer may come into camp.
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
EasyHappy Creek Forest Walk0.3 mi · 15 min · 4.2 mi awayA short boardwalk loop beside Happy Creek and old-growth trees.
ModerateHappy Creek Falls Trail2.6 mi · 2.5 hr · 4.2 mi awayOld sawmill relics and stepped falls reward a steep creekside climb.
ModerateRoss Dam Trail2.5 mi · 2 hr · 4.3 mi awayWalk through forest to Ross Dam, then climb back to SR 20.
ChallengingBig Beaver Trail24.6 mi · 18 hr · 4.3 mi awayA long valley traverse past ancient cedars and beaver marshes.
Campground · 0.7 mi awaySpencer’s CampTwo Ross Lake sites and a dock for a self-sufficient night.
Campground · 1 mi awayMcMillan CampA three-site boat-in camp that takes planning to reach.
Campground · 1.1 mi awayRainbow Point CampThree lakeside tent sites, reached by boat or trail.
Campground · 1.4 mi awayRoland Point CampA remote boat-in camp tucked into a Ross Lake cove.
Campground · 1.5 mi awayBig Beaver Boat CampBoat-in campsites with a gateway to Big Beaver Valley.
Campground · 2.4 mi awayCougar Island CampTwo island campsites for a self-sufficient night on Ross Lake.
Campground · 3.4 mi awayDevil's Junction CampAn overnight Ross Lake camp reached by boat or trail.
Campground · 3.4 mi awayGreen Point CampA small boat-in camp for a quiet Ross Lake night.Parkwolf’s North Cascades ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
