Campground · North Cascades National Park
Two Ross Lake sites and a dock for a self-sufficient night.
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 tourMore stories near here in the app
“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
Spencer’s is one of Ross Lake’s boat-in backcountry camps. The park lists two sites and a boat dock, making it an overnight stop for paddlers and boaters rather than a roadside campground. It sits 4.3 miles from Ross Dam and 17.7 miles from Hozomeen, useful landmarks for placing it on a lake trip.
A backcountry permit is required for Ross Lake boat-in camping. No food service or potable-water supply was verified, so bring food and a way to treat or carry water. A 2017 camper described tent plots, bear boxes, picnic tables and a shared vault toilet; those details are not confirmed in the park’s camp listing, so check before relying on them.
Ross Lake can be very windy, so keep conditions in mind before setting out across the water. One camper reported some shelter behind Roland Point, but do not count on a calm crossing. The lake is a reservoir created by dams in the Skagit Hydroelectric Project, part of the wider landscape around 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 · 3.5 mi awayA short boardwalk loop beside Happy Creek and old-growth trees.
ModerateHappy Creek Falls Trail2.6 mi · 2.5 hr · 3.5 mi awayOld sawmill relics and stepped falls reward a steep creekside climb.
ModerateRoss Dam Trail2.5 mi · 2 hr · 3.7 mi awayWalk through forest to Ross Dam, then climb back to SR 20.
ChallengingBig Beaver Trail24.6 mi · 18 hr · 3.7 mi awayA long valley traverse past ancient cedars and beaver marshes.
Campground · 0.4 mi awayMcMillan CampA three-site boat-in camp that takes planning to reach.
Campground · 0.7 mi awayMay Creek Boat CampA single boat-in site with three-way views from a low bluff.
Campground · 0.7 mi awayRoland Point CampA remote boat-in camp tucked into a Ross Lake cove.
Campground · 1.3 mi awayBig Beaver Boat CampBoat-in campsites with a gateway to Big Beaver Valley.
Campground · 1.7 mi awayRainbow Point CampThree lakeside tent sites, reached by boat or trail.
Campground · 1.7 mi awayCougar Island CampTwo island campsites for a self-sufficient night on Ross Lake.
Campground · 2.8 mi awayGreen Point CampA small boat-in camp for a quiet Ross Lake night.
Lodging · 2.9 mi awayRoss Lake ResortA floating Ross Lake resort reached by boat or a mile-long hike.Parkwolf’s North Cascades ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
