Ten Mile Island Camp

Ten Mile Island Camp is a three-site backcountry campground on Ross Lake, about 10 lake miles from Ross Dam and 12 from Hozomeen. Save it for an overnight that’s part of a boat trip: there’s no road access, and a backcountry camping permit is required. Sites are first-come, first-served, so build a backup into the trip.

Coming from the south, you can launch a small craft at Colonial Creek on Diablo Lake, paddle about five miles to its end, then portage around Ross Dam before continuing north on Ross Lake. The portage follows a roughly mile-long, switchbacking gravel road. Ross Lake Resort offers rentals, a water taxi and portage service; arrange those separately. From the north, Hozomeen is reached by gravel road from Hope, British Columbia. No dock is identified for Ten Mile Island, so confirm your landing plan before setting out.

Ross Lake camps have a vault toilet, picnic table, fire ring and bear-resistant food box. Bring all your food; there’s no potable water, so treat or boil lake water before drinking. Deer, bears and other wildlife can swim to the islands, so put food and scented items in the bear box. Gathering firewood on Ten Mile Island is prohibited, though driftwood is allowed. Ross Lake is a reservoir in the Skagit Hydroelectric Project, and its level changes through the season, usually reaching full pool between July and September.