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McMillan Camp in North Cascades National Park

Campground · North Cascades National Park

McMillan Camp

A three-site boat-in camp that takes planning to reach.

Type
Campground
Nearest trail
3.1 mi
  • Restrooms
  • Picnic tables
DirectionsMap
Parkwolf audio tour83 stories across North Cascades’s roads

Overview

About McMillan Camp

Why stop

  • A wooded Ross Lake camp with a dock and lake access
  • Vault toilet, picnic tables and bear boxes at camp

Heads up

  • Closely spaced sites offer limited privacy when occupied

Map

Where it is

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CampgroundMcMillan Camp48.77206, -121.03610
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Plan your stop

Before you go

Getting there

There is no direct road access from the south. One southern approach starts at Colonial Creek on Diablo Lake: paddle about five miles to the lake’s end, then portage boats and gear around Ross Dam on a switchbacked gravel road more than a mile long, climbing about 520 feet and dropping 120. Ross Lake Resort offers portage and water-taxi service. McMillan is four miles from Ross Dam and 18 miles from Hozomeen. From the north, Ross Lake is reached by gravel road from Hope, British Columbia; the Hozomeen ramps are normally usable from mid-June through September. An overnight backcountry permit is required, and it must match your trip itinerary.

7 active North Cascades alerts

  • CautionDiablo Lake launch unusable for most powerboatsMentions Diablo Lake, referenced in this guideSilt accumulation makes the Diablo Lake boat launch at Colonial Creek South Campground unusable for launching most powerboats.Official details
  • ClosureWildfire closures and Stehekin fire advisoryWildfire-related closures remain in effect; stay out of all closed trails, camps, and areas.Official details
See all 7 alerts
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

North Cascades Tour Guide

Your drive to McMillan Camp, narrated.

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More stories near here in the app

  • Ross Lake Overlook: A Quick View Through the Trees
  • Happy Creek: Short Forest Loop or Falls Hike
  • Ross Dam and the Floating Resort
  • The Log Beneath the Trees
  • 83 audio storiesacross North Cascades’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
  • Wildlife heatmapsfor Mountain Goat, Black Bear, Mule Deer, and 10 more
  • Works offlinemaps, 88 trails, 76 places, and audio download before you lose signal
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Guide

More about McMillan Camp

What McMillan Camp isMcMillan Camp is a three-site boat-in campground on Ross Lake, including one group site.

McMillan Camp is a three-site boat-in campground on Ross Lake, including one group site. It makes sense as part of a planned overnight on the water, not as a quick roadside stop. You get a wooded camp and a dock, but the sites sit close enough that privacy can be limited when they are all occupied.

What to expect at campThere is a dock, a vault toilet, fire rings, picnic tables and bear-resistant food boxes.

There is a dock, a vault toilet, fire rings, picnic tables and bear-resistant food boxes. Bring food for the full stay and plan to share the facilities and space with the other campers.

Water and lake levelRoss Lake is a reservoir created by the Skagit Hydroelectric Project dams, and its level…

Ross Lake is a reservoir created by the Skagit Hydroelectric Project dams, and its level changes through the season. It is generally at full pool from July through September; at low water the dock may be unusable. Treat or boil any lake or stream water, and check current lake levels before planning around a landing.

campingboatingbackcountryrosslake

Wildlife

Wildlife in North Cascades

All North Cascades wildlife maps
Mountain Goat101 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapBlack Bear70 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapMule Deer20 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSooty Grouse77 sightingsSooty GrouseMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapWhite-tailed Ptarmigan23 sightingsWhite-tailed PtarmiganMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapWestern Toad75 sightingsWestern ToadMost seen around 8 PMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across North Cascades. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Keep exploring

Near McMillan Camp

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Trails nearby

EasyHappy Creek Forest Walk0.3 mi · 15 min · 3.1 mi awayA short boardwalk loop beside Happy Creek and old-growth trees.ModerateHappy Creek Falls Trail2.6 mi · 2.5 hr · 3.1 mi awayOld sawmill relics and stepped falls reward a steep creekside climb.ModerateRoss Dam Trail2.5 mi · 2 hr · 3.3 mi awayWalk through forest to Ross Dam, then climb back to SR 20.ChallengingBig Beaver Trail24.6 mi · 18 hr · 3.3 mi awayA long valley traverse past ancient cedars and beaver marshes.

More stops nearby

Campground · 0.4 mi awaySpencer’s CampTwo Ross Lake sites and a dock for a self-sufficient night.Campground · 0.5 mi awayRoland Point CampA remote boat-in camp tucked into a Ross Lake cove.Campground · 1 mi awayMay Creek Boat CampA single boat-in site with three-way views from a low bluff.Campground · 1.1 mi awayBig Beaver Boat CampBoat-in campsites with a gateway to Big Beaver Valley.Campground · 1.4 mi awayCougar Island CampTwo island campsites for a self-sufficient night on Ross Lake.Campground · 1.9 mi awayRainbow Point CampThree lakeside tent sites, reached by boat or trail.Campground · 2.4 mi awayGreen Point CampA small boat-in camp for a quiet Ross Lake night.Lodging · 2.5 mi awayRoss Lake ResortA floating Ross Lake resort reached by boat or a mile-long hike.

Parkwolf’s North Cascades ranking

Top sights in North Cascades

All 76 places
  1. 1Diablo Lake OverlookSight
  2. 2Washington Pass OverlookSight
  3. 3Rainbow FallsSight
  4. 4Gorge Creek FallsSight
  5. 5Ross Lake OverlookSight
  6. 6Ladder Creek FallsSight

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