Campground · North Cascades National Park
A two-site boat-in camp on Ross Lake's wooded shore.
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
Ponderosa Camp is a two-site boat-in campground on Ross Lake, listed as a group site. It sits about 11 miles from both Ross Dam and Hozomeen, so this is a planned overnight rather than a roadside break. Ross Lake is a reservoir created by the Skagit Hydroelectric Project, not a natural lake.
From the south, reaching Ross Lake means launching at Colonial Creek, boating about five miles across Diablo Lake, and portaging boats and gear around Ross Dam on a roughly one-mile road. Ponderosa is another 11 miles from the dam. A backcountry permit is required year-round. No dock is listed for Ponderosa, so check landing conditions and lake levels before you go.
Ross Lake's boat-in camps have fire rings, picnic tables, vault toilets and bear-resistant food lockers. There is no potable-water supply listed, so bring drinking water or treat water drawn from the lake or nearby streams. Keep food, garbage and scented items in the locker when you are not actively cooking. The reservoir is usually high from late June through mid-September; drawdowns outside that period expose rocks and snags in 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 · 1.3 mi awayA steep climb opens into the quiet Lightning Creek valley.
ChallengingDesolation Peak Trail9.4 mi · 7.5 hr · 2.9 mi awayA steep climb to Kerouac’s historic fire lookout
ChallengingLittle Beaver Trail32.4 mi · 22 hr · 4.7 mi awayA long valley trail climbs to a rugged backcountry pass.
Campground · 0.2 mi awayDry Creek CampA four-site Ross Lake camp reached only by boat
Campground · 0.4 mi awayLodgepole CampA remote Ross Lake camp reached by boat, with trail access.
Campground · 0.7 mi awayTen Mile Island CampThree island campsites make the boat trip part of the stay.
Campground · 1 mi awayLightning Creek Stock CampA two-site Ross Lake camp reached by boat or a long hike.
Campground · 1.3 mi awayLightning Creek Boat CampFive campsites on Ross Lake, reached by boat or trail.
Campground · 1.6 mi awayDevil's Junction CampAn overnight Ross Lake camp reached by boat or trail.
Campground · 2 mi awayCat Island CampFour boat-in sites on a quiet island in Ross Lake.Sight · 3.7 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.
