Campground · North Cascades National Park
A riverside base with old-growth loops and Newhalem within walking reach.
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 tourRecorded for this place
Newhalem Creek Campground and Rock Shelter“You're nearing Newhalem Creek Campground, a seasonal riverside base within walking distance of town and the visitor center.”
Plays as you drive up to Newhalem Creek Campground in the Parkwolf North Cascades Tour Guide.
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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
Newhalem Creek Campground is a seasonal, 107-site campground along the Skagit River, just west of Newhalem. Three individual loops and a separate group area make it a convenient base here, with the town and visitor center a short walk away. Choose it for an established place to camp close to those services; site spacing varies, so check the individual site details if room matters.
Loops A and B sit in old-growth forest. Loop C is in an area burned by a 2015 wildfire, a different setting from the older trees in the other two loops. The campground also has 13 tent-only sites and 13 walk-to or boat-to sites, alongside drive-in sites.
Campground roads are paved. Individual sites generally have a picnic table and one or two flat tent pads; the two group sites have covered pavilions, picnic tables, and grills. Seasonal amenities include flush toilets, potable water, and a dump station. There are no electric hookups, showers, or camp store.
The campground is within a hydroelectric project, and a warning system alerts campers to high water. Follow its instructions. The usual camping season runs from late May into mid-September, with reservations required during peak season. RVs and trailers are limited to 50 feet, and some visitors find the sites tight for larger rigs, so check the specific site's fit before booking.
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
EasyTo Know a Tree Nature Trail1 mi · 45 min · At the trailheadTree signs turn this easy riverside walk into a small nature lesson.
EasyRock Shelter Trail0.6 mi · 30 min · 0.3 mi awayA short accessible walk to a 1,400-year-old hunting camp.
EasyLower Newhalem Creek Trail0.6 mi · 30 min · 0.4 mi awayCreekside walk to a cedar glade still finding its way back.
EasyRiver Loop Trail1.8 mi · 45 min · 0.4 mi awayA forest loop to a gravel bar with broad Skagit River views.
EasySterling Munro Trail0.2 mi · 12 min · 0.4 mi awayA brief wooden walk opens onto a Picket Range viewpoint.
EasyTrail of the Cedars Nature Walk0.5 mi · 30 min · 0.7 mi awayCross the suspension bridge for an easy old-growth river loop.
EasyLadder Creek Falls Trail0.5 mi · 30 min · 0.9 mi awayA half-mile waterfall loop with a hydroelectric past.
EasyGorge Overlook Trail0.5 mi · 45 min · 3.1 mi awayA short loop with a lake, a dam and a waterfall view.
Campground · 0.3 mi awayGoodell Creek CampgroundSleep under old-growth trees with the Skagit close by.
Visitor center · 0.4 mi awayNorth Cascades Visitor CenterA relief map makes the peaks and roads easier to place.
Sight · 0.4 mi awaySterling Munro ViewpointA short, accessible boardwalk opens on the Picket Range.
Sight · 0.5 mi awayNewhalem Creek PowerhouseA 1921 powerhouse that helped build Newhalem and Gorge Dam.
Campground · 0.6 mi awayLower Goodell Group CampgroundA shaded Goodell Creek basecamp made for a whole group.
Sight · 0.6 mi awayTemple of PowerA gazebo built from hardware that once helped power Seattle.
Visitor center · 0.6 mi awaySkagit Information CenterHydroelectric history and local help on the road through Newhalem.
Store · 0.7 mi awaySkagit General StoreA working 1922 company store with fudge and camp supplies.Parkwolf’s North Cascades ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
